POWDER Magazine » John Stifterhttp://www.powder.com
The Skier's MagazineSun, 02 Aug 2015 07:01:24 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3Is Beijing Right To Host Winter Olympics?http://www.powder.com/stories/is-beijing-right-to-host-winter-olympics/
http://www.powder.com/stories/is-beijing-right-to-host-winter-olympics/#commentsMon, 13 Apr 2015 11:06:18 +0000http://www.powder.com/?p=126720Sadly, it wasn’t an April Fools’ Day joke. On April 1, California Governor Jerry Brown issued mandatory statewide water restrictions for the first time in state history. Sierra and Southern

Sadly, it wasn’t an April Fools’ Day joke. On April 1, California Governor Jerry Brown issued mandatory statewide water restrictions for the first time in state history. Sierra and Southern California skiers certainly don’t need to be reminded of the four-year drought. As California battles water rights and environmental consequences from the drought, a similar story, as it relates to snowfall or the lack thereof, is occurring in China.

In a story last week from The New York Times, writer Ian Johnson chronicles Beijing’s path to winning a bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics despite the mountains’ location in a semi-arid ecosystem with an average of only 15 inches of precipitation (comparatively, low-lying ski areas in the European Alps annually average 40-plus inches). The story goes on to state that “two-thirds of that precipitation falls in the summer. In December and January, areas like Chongli [where the ski halfpipe, slopestyle, and freestyle events would be held], receive about a tenth of an inch of precipitation, meaning they are usually barren throughout the winter.” If awarded the bid, Beijing would become the first city to ever host a Summer and Winter Olympics.

It’s no secret China’s boom in industry and development the last few decades is attributed to cheap labor and attempts at making it look appealing to tourism. Hosting the Olympics would create new jobs and investment, but it would come at an extreme cost to the environment and agricultural industry. At 22 million people, Beijing’s population has doubled the last 25 years, forcing the government to build a $62-billion project to divert water from the rainy south to the dry north.

Notwithstanding, nearly the entire snowpack in the proposed area, as it exists now, is artificial and would rely heavily on snowmaking to host an Olympics. Not only have Chinese hydrologists said there shouldn’t be any ski resorts in China (some, in the story, say it’s “a Martian-like plan”), but the proposed site for the Alpine events is a national park and protected nature reserve.

According to the story, the International Olympic Committee toured the proposed facilities last week. The surrounding area and mountains were brown and void of snow, with only the white ribbons of slopes covered by the water-sucking snowmaking machines. A final decision by the IOC is slated for July. If awarded the bid, China could perhaps look to Governor Brown for strategic ways to avoid starving the population of needed resources, like food and drinking water, rather than building a 22-foot superpipe from snow that wouldn’t exist without technological intervention.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/is-beijing-right-to-host-winter-olympics/feed/0Speedy Week in Beaver Creek at the F.I.S. World Championshipshttp://www.powder.com/stories/first-chair-blog/world-championships-recap-week/
http://www.powder.com/stories/first-chair-blog/world-championships-recap-week/#commentsMon, 09 Feb 2015 23:47:50 +0000http://www.powder.com/?p=125233After a wild week of racing, the U.S. Ski Team added some meat to their successful 2014-15 season with eight top-10 finishes in six racesmen’s and women’s downhill, men’s and

]]>After a wild week of racing, the U.S. Ski Team added some meat to their successful 2014-15 season with eight top-10 finishes in six racesmen’s and women’s downhill, men’s and women’s super-G, and men’s and women’s combinedduring the first week of the 2015 F.I.S. Alpine World Championships hosted in the U.S. for the first time since 1999.

Lindsey Vonn, the current World Cup points leader in the Downhill and Super-G, kicked off the week in her hometown with a third-place finish in super-G, finishing behind World Cup points overall leader Tina Maze, and Austria’s Anna Fenniger. Tahoe’s Julia Mancuso finished 1.63 seconds behind Fenniger for a ninth place finish. Three days later, it was Maze solidifying her World Cup overall lead with a gold-medal performance in the downhill, with Fenniger second and Vonn fifth.

“I’m happy with the way I skied and with the result,” Vonn told USSA after the super-G. “I just wish that the weather was a little bit better. I definitely had a pretty strong headwind right out of the starting gate and for the first couple of gates.”

The men battled the same elements, as the super-G had to be rescheduled from Wednesday’s original start to Thursday due to heavy falling snow. That didn’t keep Austrian Hannes Reichelt from flying down the Birds of Prey course into the top spot, with American Ted Ligety finishing ninth and Bode Miller taking a severe tumble, which led to a rather sickening gash in his calf and the New Hampshire native pondering his racing future.

But it was Saturday’s theatrics on the men’s downhill that created the most buzz, especially for the Americans. Under sunny skies, 26-year-old Travis Ganong took home his first World Championships medal with his silver-medal run, as teammate big Steve Nyman finished in fourth, 0.03 off the podium, while Andrew Weibrecht, wearing bib 35, tied for ninth place.

“Steve Nyman inspired me,” Ganong told USSA after the race. “I heard he was in second place, and was like, ‘OK, if hes fast, I can be fast.’ Theres so much pressure here in front of the home country, hometown crowd, my friends and family. Its unbelievable. Skiing is the most fun thing you can do, and when it works out well in a venue and on a stage like this, its so special.”

Ganong hauls ass through his turn with sights on his first World Champs medal. PHOTO: Cody Downard/USSA

In Sunday and Monday’s combined, Maze finished first again while Ligety took third after waiting 17 minutes in the downhill start hut for the course to clear after a crash. He ended up 3.03 seconds off the fastest time before making nearly it all up, along with Austria’s Marcel Hirscher, in the slalom, but not enough to overtake the speedy Norwegian, Kjetil Jansrud.

“Its not the way I would have liked to have my race go, as far as having a good downhill run,” Ligety told USSA. “I had an amazing slalom run, besides having a big mistake. For 59 out of the 60 gates I was beating Marcel [Hirscher] and thats a huge confidence booster for me. Thats encouraging for the slalom on Sunday.”

This week features the tech eventsgiant slalom and slalomwith Ligety and Vail’s own Mikaela Shriffin, 19, looking to stand atop the home country podium.

]]>Big Sky local Brit Barnes awoke to bombs going off Wednesday morning. “The ski report said four inches of new, but you could tell it was deep since the bombs were muffled.” As is the case in Big Sky, Montana, the storm was under-reported, giving meaning to what the locals refer to as “one-inch wonders.” With a base-area elevation of 7,500 feet and the summit of the iconic Lone Peak topping out at 11,166 feet, Big Sky can have varying accumulations. According to Barnes, a Big Sky patroller said the storm came in at four-percent water content, so it made for a cold-smoke classic. Twenty-year-plus local photographer Ryan Turner was there to indulge and document after a good month of firm snow conditions.

With a vertical drop of 4,350 feet, highlighted by the terrain off the Lone Peak Tram, Big Sky is big and badass.

Some refer to Big Sky as the Big Lie for conditions seeming to be deeper than expected nearly every storm.

For one of the best parties in skiing, Big Sky’s Dirtbag Ball, held annually in March, should be on every skier’s checklist.

Stop by Scissorbills Saloon and Whiskey Jacques in the village for delicious beers, including local microbrews from Lone Peak Brewery. Oh, and stay away from the Black Bear Bar and Grilllocals only, brah.

]]>Tracing the sacred path around Daisetsuzan National Park on Japans Hokkaido Island

PHOTO: Robin O’Neill

The headlamp pointed up to the dark sky and then back down at the felt board. The old man seemed to be speaking to the swirling snowflakes as they landed on his tabletthe size of an iPad. He held it out like a child sticks out their tongue to swallow a flake.

He looked at the stellar shape through reading glasses and a magnifier loupe. He muttered something in Japanese and then wiped the board with his oversize mittens.

Katahira Takashi lives in Tokyo when its not snowing. Hes been coming to this spot on Japans northern island of Hokkaido every winter since 1965, photographing snow crystals. Inside a makeshift tent with a macro setup pitched outside his Toyota van, Takashi, wearing a large insulated jacket and gaiters around expedition-style boots, shoots the snow using a Pentax camera and Canon macro lenses.

I asked him why he chose this spot. He smiled a grandfatherly-like grin, the whiskers of his thin mustache showing the salt of his age. I dont like the city, he replied in broken English. Its peaceful here and it never stops snowing.

Outside our hostel at the base of Asahidake Ropeway, a ski area at the foot of the tallest peak on the powder haven of Hokkaido, the active stratovolcano 7,516-foot Mount Asahi, I too stared up at the falling snow.

Time slows in Hokkaido, especially and even more so in the mountains of Daisetsuzan National Parkan amoeba-shaped triangle consisting of 875 square miles located in the center of the island. A faucet of snowfall cranked full blast will do that. When it doesnt relent, rushing is not required, even if your goal is to orbit the powder park.

It seems standard now during capricious North American winters for skiers to careen their necks east for the sure thing: kona yuki, the Japanese phrase for powder snow. In February 2014, that lot included a collection of skiers led by Ingrid Backstrom. After suffering a near-career-ending Achilles injury the season prior, the 36-year-old wanted soft snow to ease back into winter. Known more for sweeping super-G turns on open Alaska faces or technical lines navigating British Columbia pillows, Backstrom didnt seem like the type hankering for the mellow slopes of Hokkaido. The terrain on Hokkaido, consisting of deciduous birch and maple trees, is known more for its playfulness rather than steep, high-alpine exposure.

It’s comforting to know a place like this exists, said Backstrom.

When I arrived in mid-February, the snow faucet eased off, allowing for the sun to strike. A sun-crust developed, creating a layer within the voluminous Hokkaido snowpack.

Leading our group was a Japanese mountain guide named Makoto Takeishi. A ski patroller of 10 yearstwo of those years spent patrolling in the more popular Niseko zone 180 miles to the westthe ruddy-cheeked Takeishi, or Mako as we called him, was born in Tokyo, raised in the mountains of Nagano, and moved to Hokkaido to attend an outdoor-oriented high school. In our heightened mode of anticipation for the powder of our dreams, Makos pace reflected that of the natives in the mountains. That is, despite our constant inquiries about the forecast, the 38-year-old didnt rush or feel the pressure to procure life-altering runs for his clients. Perhaps his relaxed verve acted as a product of the relentless snowfall, knowing the sacred snows would soon come.

It snows so much that it shapes our lifestyles in many ways compared to the city, said Mako, a stout and bullish man who has skied Asahidake for 20 years.

In Daisetsuzan, which translates to the great snowy mountains, the largest national park in Japan features 18 peaks over 6,500 feet. The mountains are not as high as the Japanese Alps of Honshu due southeast, but the higher latitude and proximity to the Sea of Japan makes for a colder climate and snow that averages four-percent water content.

Katahira Takashi has been photographing snowflakes since 1965. Here in his makeshift tent outside his Toyota van, he uses a Pentax camera and Canon macro lenses to shoot snow crystals. PHOTO: Robin O’Neill

A man and his craft, Katahira Takashi collects snowflakes on his felt board and determines if he wants to photograph them. PHOTO: Robin O’Neill

From the top of the Asahidake Ropeway ski area, which is on the northern side of the park, short tours took us to 500-foot, 35-degree descents among the distinct birch before it benched out. Wed blow the featherlight snow off our mitts and skate down to another lap, the 50-person tram loading every 20 minutes. Of course, we found ourselves among the sacred forests, home to kamidefined in English as spirits or deities with abstract natural forces in the world.

As Canadian Riley Leboe flipped himself off natural features and American Drew Tabke, making his inaugural trip to Japan, flew through the arched trees, forces of a different kind seemed to be in play. There is something different here. Some sort of spirituality, said Tabke.

Which includes the geothermal activity that makes for the other most important activity in Japan: soaking in hot springs, or onsens. Back at the lodge, we indulged in the outdoor baths. Adhering to Japanese Hot Spring Law, the onsens contain at least one of 19 designated chemical elements and must be 78 degrees or hotter. Disrobed, I found Mako soaking and smiling, drinking from a can of Sapporo. I always onsen after skiing, he said. Backcountry skiing, onsen, and beer. I looked at the stars through more falling snow and couldnt help but mutter arigatou in gratitude for the kami.

In our quest to find bottomless powder, we left Asahidake and drove north to Kurodake. There, in a small town at the base of the mountain, we walked through the zany Sounkyo Ice Festival alongside Chinese, Korean, and Taiwanese tourists. Lit up in various neon colors, the ice sculptures resembled a Halloween-like corn maze tour. The next day, despite being the only skiers in the nearby Kurodake tram, the strange experience and challenging conditions forced us to hop back in Makos van.

But true to Makos patience, after driving all night on ramen and vendor-fed sushi and candy from the ubiquitous 7-Elevens, we awoke at the Hakuginso Onsen to snow falling at three inches an hour. Located at the southeastern end of the national park and the base of the Tokachi Mountains and 6,273-foot Furanodake, the dreamy onsen is a launchpad to some of the deepest turns of your life.

As we traded off breaking trail and trekking through midriff-high snow, I called to mind our first night, analyzing micro-millimeter snow crystals. Katahira, Makomen of the mountains. We moved with bated breath with the impending descent, and a calm stride. We were here in the serenity of sacred spirits and snow. I looked up and down and it was all white.

Headlamp. Check. Glasses. Check. Two tools that allow Katahira Takashi to do something that encapsulates the soul and bounty of Japanese mountain culture. PHOTO: Robin O’Neill

A tube of joy, Drew Tabke indulges on his first trip to Japan. PHOTO: Robin O’Neill

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/digital-features/pure-joy/feed/0Untrackedhttp://www.powder.com/stories/digital-features/untracked/
http://www.powder.com/stories/digital-features/untracked/#commentsTue, 20 Jan 2015 06:30:01 +0000http://www.powder.com/?p=124516 "American" Dave Rosenbarger toes a dangerous line as one of the most skilled ski mountaineers in the world

“American Dave” Rosenbarger toes a dangerous line as one of the most skilled ski mountaineers in the world

PHOTO: Adam Clark

After a three-day storm, clouds parted at about 1 p.m. to reveal the twin granite towers of the 12,605-foot Aiguille du Midi and classic ski lines plastered in a couple feet of fresh snow. As the tram zipped up and over the famed north face of the Midi, Dave Rosenbarger zeroed in on his objective.

Its still not in shape, he said to a friend, motioning toward the Mallory Route of the north face. Once off the tram, Rosenbarger, the loquacious American who has lived in the Chamonix Valley from December to May for consecutive winters since 2003, hurried down the artewhere a misstep could have you tumbling several thousand feetto beat other skiers to the untracked classics.

We clicked in and I followed Rosenbarger, Kye Petersen, photographer Christian Pondella, and Swedish filmer Bjarne Saln down and around the Poubelle Gully toward Mont Blanc. After a quick bootpack, and to the chagrin of Rosenbarger, two groups beat us to the junction of the Cosmiques and SW Couloirs, the latter commonly referred to as the Glacier Rond. Rosenbarger, or American Dave, as most know him, quickly put his skis on and skated out to assess the conditions. Before this trip, friends of Rosenbargers told me his main goal on skis is to never cross another track. Due to that mantra, the 38-year-old, who has called Tahoe City home the last nine summers, incessantly refreshes Facebook and checks his iPhone for up-to-the-second conditions and updates. And sure enough, he received a text from a friend letting him know that he just skied the Exit Couloir of the Rond in epic conditions.

Rosenbarger made quick work of an exposed west-facing traverse until he arrived at a prow above the hanging glacier. He moved with exceptional speed and deftness, getting into position nearly as fast as he spoke. He crouched over his ski poles like he was waiting his turn on a town-hill GS course, looking comfortable, eager, and capable all at once, pointing out the lines and analyzing the routes with new snow.

The top part looks to have slid to black ice, he yelled back up to the group. But it looks great after that. Some misconstrue his speedy approach and zeal for steep descents as recklessness. Others say its simply a product of this wild environment. As I looked down at him, its clear that for Rosenbarger, one of the worlds most preeminent ski mountaineers, its just fun.

Lets go ski powder, he said.

Youve no doubt heard of Rosenbarger, or at least witnessed his influence. He mentored the late Arne Backstrom, as well as Seth Morrison, as seen in the 2011 Morrison biopic, The Ordinary Skier, which was largely filmed in Chamonix. Whether he was skiing for the camera or not (most times not), Rosenbarger stood and skied in the shadows while other times outshining the main act. But like any skilled ski mountaineer, especially of the Chamonix variety, that evolution took time.

Rosenbargers stern blue eyes belie his ebullience. He wears wire-rimmed glasses when hes not skiing, and his curly brown hair folds outside of his hat. Raised in Gresham, Oregon, outside Portland, by an orthodontist father and mall-managing mother, Rosenbarger, who has a younger sister, ski raced at Mount Hood during high school before attending the University of Oregon. After earning a degree in biology and environmental science, he spent a year living in Bend and skiing Mount Bachelor before spending a good chunk of his 20s ski bumming in Whitefish, Montana, serving tables at various restaurants.

In college, he took up telemarking, which is why one of Chamonixs most respected ski mountaineers has the word Telewhacker as part of his email address.

Skiing got stagnant and I was hanging with a bunch of climbers, so I tried something new, said Rosenbarger.

But Europespecifically, Chamonixcame calling. I headed out there to meet a friend from college and eventually ended up in Chamonix. This is it, I remember saying. This is what Ive been looking for.

“The Midi webcam looks like a total whiteout, said Rosenbarger, looking down at his iPhone. And the Helbronner cam isnt working. But with these clouds swirling, Italy has a better chance of being sunny. Its mid-March and spring arrived a week earlier, locals trading ski boots for sandals. But today, storms shrouded the high peaks, temperatures acted more seasonal.

We made the drive through the Mont Blanc Tunnel from Chamonix to Italy and entered a small caf across from the Helbronner tram station to wait out the weather. Rosenbarger ordered a cappuccino while the barista emphatically yelled, Ciao, prego! and Grazie mille! to ski guides. Trail maps of the Mont Blanc massif and black-and-white photos honoring the rich mountaineering and engineering history of this renowned region lined the walls.

Back in the day here, they would wait for late spring to ski the steep, hard snow cause they didnt have the equipment to deal with slough, said Rosenbarger, pointing at the old photos and the larger subject of the aggressive pursuit of classic Chamonix lines thats a product of bigger, lighter gear. Marginal conditions call for marginal style. Im not interested in descending. Im interested in skiinguntracked, he continued.But things are changing here. Before social media, only a few guys would open fresh, new lines. Now, people are just following bootpacks. Theres tons of bad etiquette…with people saying exactly where they skied. Facebook is destroying skiing.

We laughed and took sips of espresso, acknowledging that the Internet, and social media to a lesser degree, have replaced guidebooks and local knowledge. With that comes responsibility and perspective.

When I moved to Chamonix, I took things very, very slow. I didnt come here, day one, wanting to ski the gnarliest thing, said Rosenbarger, who despite his decade-plus in Chamonix still doesnt speak French. I waited eight years to ski the north face of the Midi. Steep skiing requires patience and Im an impatient person.

A self-deprecating smile offset his earnestness. But it was true: Everything he didfrom eating to talking to skiingwas prompt. Earlier that morning, he took issue with Petersens blithe morning pace.

He is always a step ahead of everyone, said Dusan Benes, Rosenbargers Czech ski partner. He often puts tracks on faces and couloirs first and others follow. Dave doesnt ski Chamonix steep descents just to tick it off the bucket list. He waits for perfect conditions and skis them in powder.

Benes and Rosenbargers other main ski partner, Irishman John Minogue, a snowboarder, both recount tales of literally hearing Rosenbarger before getting to know him while waiting out weather atop the Midi. He was the guy letting people know he was gonna go first. Pretty much the same now, but he doesnt talk about it to everyone, said Minogue.

Regardless of tempo, dangers, especially in such wild alpine environs, are omnipresent. An accepted risk is congruent with these places. In June 2010, while on an expedition in Perus Cordillera Blanca region, Rosenbarger, along with Kip Garre, watched close friend and ski partner Arne Backstrom slide on an icy face to his eventual death. Less than a year later, in April, Garre died in an avalanche in Californias Sierra backcountry. Rosenbarger, who used to paint Tahoe homes with Garre, was not with him.

Over another cappuccino, I asked him if losing two close friends has made him pull back or slow down in the mountains. No, not really, he said. Their deaths havent affected my skiing. Its made me more aware, but I already feel I was.

Rosenbargers tone is matter of fact and honest, his energy unmoved, but his blue eyes reveal emotion. Its easy to form presumptions and conjecture about this seemingly crazy lot of skiers. But those outside the circle can misunderstand an intense passion. We shake our heads at their seeming indifference to the reality of hanging off the edge of the world, but they operate in a different space than most.

I dont think anything is worth dying over. I expect myself and everyone I go out with to come home safe every night, he said.

Rosenbargers passion extended beyond skiing when he met a Swedish woman in Chamonix named Rosanna Hughes, whom he later married in 2008. While Rosenbarger waits tables at Tahoe Citys River Grill from July to October (save for the week of Burning Man) to earn his yearly income, his wife works as a nurse. The two balance a relationship between varied work schedules and a transient lifestyle in Tahoe, Sweden, and Chamonix.

Dave is extremely on and off…all or nothing kind of, said Hughes. When hes around people that he can relate with, hes extremely talkative and charming. Out of his element, he can be extremely introverted. But hes powered by passion and cant really do something he doesnt believe in.

We rappelled into the Cosmiques and found chest-deep powder on a spine that accumulated excess slough. With American Dave leading the group, we navigated the Glacier des Bossons and slowly made our way up to the non-glaciated Para face, a massive pow field underneath the Midi tram cables. My watch read 7 p.m. The fading sun picked up the fresh snow ice crystals and, soon enough, everythingthe group, the Chamonix Valley, the Midiappeared in an ethereal light. The moment reminded me of what Rosenbarger said about being a Chamonix skier:

It wasnt too long ago I thought I lived a normal life. And then I started looking around at my friends and was like, God, hes crazy. So is he. And then I realized all my friends are on the edge of nuts and then I ask the question where do I fit on that scale. I think a lot of people miss the point of Chamonix. Yes, its the steep skiing and alpinism. But, really, its the characters that make this town what it is. Ski bum is a term that someone sacrifices a lot in their life in order to achieve that sensation of skiing. And I think people that are willing to do that just have a lot of passion and energy. Its amazing to be around.

Back on slope, hes smiling big. Any skier would be at this moment. He turns around, pushes off, and starts making graceful, smooth turns in untracked powder.

Drew Tabke wasnt supposed to be here. The Freeride World Tours (FWT) final event, Xtreme Verbier, that took place March 29 in Switzerlands southwestern state of Valais, was a showdown of the best big mountain skiers on the planet. Six-story airs, close-out chutes, and 45- to 50-degree slopes comprised Verbiers Bec des Rossesan 1,800-foot north face that is one of the most respected, and feared, venues on the circuit. On a normal year, say last year when he won the overall FWT title, Tabke skied with confidence and focus. But the 30-year-oldone of the most versatile and thoughtful skiers in the worldwas having a difficult 2013-14 competition campaign.

In four tour stops before the Xtreme finals, Tabkes average finish was 16th. He needed a wild card invitation to compete in Verbier since he didnt qualify for one of the 12 spots. His challenging season was due in large part to touchy snowpacks around the world, including avalanches at three straight venuesone of which cancelled the comp at Revelstoke Mountain Resort. As a member of the eight-person Pro Freeriders Board, and a contracted freelance writer for the FWT, and Powder.com FWT correspondent, Tabke took on an impromptu spokesperson role for athletes, which often put him in the position of mediating differences between competitors and tour organizers, each representing distinct American and European opinions. That, plus a constant tendency to analyze himself and his varying roles, proved too much distraction for a big mountain athlete skiing on the razor-thin line between success and disaster.

Showing style that’s prescient for his genre, a cerebral Drew Tabke can be his own worst enemy. PHOTO: Dom Daher

The Utah native sat on the metal floor of Verbiers Mont Fort tram as a FWT announcer spoke Swiss French over a loudspeaker. A pair of skinny 98mm-waisted touring skis with tech speed bindings leaned against the Plexiglass. Beyond the window, 90 teenagers competed in the Junior Freeride World Tour finals on Petit Bec, lookers left of Bec des Rosses. It was a weather day for the Xtreme competition, so earlier that morning Tabke texted me to meet at the tram station near the top of Les 4 Valles on top of Verbier. At 8:30 a.m., we were alone in the 50-person tram car in a foggy whiteout, listening to the announcer and looking to go for a tour beyond the ski area.

Its been too much baggage, Tabke said of the 2014 season. Ive been skiing with too much on my mind.

The tram doors closed at the upper station. Tabke and I were the only skiers in the box. The candor of his statement seemed fitting as the empty box zipped up the mountain into the white. Contributing to his journeyman status as a 10-year-plus big mountain competitor is an analytical intelligence that contrasts with most of his peers. Its not often you find such a cerebral, and well-read, skier, who is willing and able to stomp a 50-foot back flip, then paraphrase Hunter S. Thompson and Thomas Pynchon. Meanwhile, hell cite Ed Abbey when talking about McMansions being developed in lieu of preserving nature in his native Park City, engendering a social skepticism.

On skis and off, Tabke lives a binary existence, with an undercurrent of philosophical thoughtfulness that, at times, belies a life-of-the-party spirit. The former contributed to he and his novice skier girlfriend, a professional contemporary ballet dancer, uprooting from Salt Lake City to Seattle to pursue a more cultured lifestyleone that didnt just revolve around skiing. And the latter can be seen by looking at his informal ski background that had him skiing bumps and competing in the now-defunct U.S. Freeksiing Open before becoming a freeride star, all while working at ski shops the last 13 years (yes, you may have had boot work done by a world champion). Pundits say hes one of the best skiers in the world and hardly anyone has heard of him. Friends say hes always thinking two steps ahead of others, and himself.

We disembark from the tram and shuffle our way to the railing, where pictures and descriptions of the surrounding Alps, including the Matterhorn, give context to the vista. Except that there is no vista. We cant see more than 50 feet in front of us through the fog.

Tabke is eager to talk about other things, thoughskiing things, route-finding, touring gearas he leads the way down a set of steel steps to the snow. We click in and start side-slipping on refrozen hardpack, 50 feet outside the ski-area boundary. Its been a lean year in Verbier, and several rocks pepper the 45-degree route threading the rockbound face. My jacket is halfway unzipped; the temperature is a balmy 40 degrees. Despite the icy and soupy conditions, Tabke links a few effortless turns, whipping his skis back and forth in succession like a violin bow. His form is compact, fall-line facinga style that has become his trademark.

He continues down, stops, glances up at me, then continues over the edge and out of sight. This is what he does. Little explanation, no warning. He leads the way and others follow. So I push off, test the snow with my edges, make a quick turn, and do just that.

Tabke rarely stops moving. But when he does, he has plenty to think about. PHOTO: Adam Clark

Tabkes inimitable and sincere verve can be traced to his South Dakota-born parents. Mike and Susan Tabke grew up in farm-growing, church-going families. They discovered skiing at Terry Peak, where Mike ski patrolled, in South Dakotas Black Hills. But after the two started dating in high school, they yearned to see and ski more beyond the Midwest. For one winter, they ski bummed in Crested Butte. Eventually they landed in Sandy, Utah, at the base of Little Cottonwood Canyon, where Tabke was born. His mom got a special-education teaching job and his dad worked for hot-dogger Bobbie Burns building The Ski.

When Tabke was 2, at the prodding of a friend, the Tabkes moved to Hawaiis Big Island and hippied out for a bit, according to Tabke, while his mom called it a homesteader lifestyle. During Tabkes formative years on the now-defunct Freeskiing World Tour, announcers nicknamed him The Flyin Hawaiian since Tabke, tongue-in-cheek as hes wont to do, listed the snowy peak of the Hawaiian Islands, Mauna Loa, as his home ski area. Missing the mountains, the Tabkes returned to UtahMidway, Utah, to be exact, about 20 minutes south of Park Citywhen Tabke was 7, where he cut his ski teeth on the snowcone slopes of the Wasatch.

When Tabke grew up in Park City in the early to mid-90s, the local school district issued $100 season passes to students and gave them early release on Fridays to go ski at ParkWest, which then became Wolf Mountain and is now the Canyons. He was a bump skier, not a racer, eschewing convention and the steep cost of joining the race team. On weekends, his parents and younger sister drove to Little Cottonwood Canyon and skied Alta. I remember feeling that buzz for the first time in the Germania lift line, Tabke says.

I didnt like it when people said he didnt have coaches because when Drew went to Snowbird and Alta, those mountains were his coach, says his dad, Mike, a finish carpenter in the Heber Valley. Skiing powder, skiing storm days, thats where Drew learned what hes capable of.

At 16, after saving up money from working at ski shops, Tabke attended Shane Szocs High North ski camp at Whistler, which was a breeding ground for talented freestylers in the early 2000s. After gleaning inspiration from J.P. Auclair, learning tricks and adding air awareness to his quick-turn bump style, he caught the eye of a few locals back in Utah.

I heard about this kid throwing 9s in the pipe, says Will Sumner, a friend of Tabkes who grew up in Park City. I remember I hit this booter and landed before the cat track, feeling good. And then Tabkes next and he throws a giant back flip all styled out, head back by his heels, and lands on the other side of the cat road.

Tabke helped break the mold of big mountain competition skiers being cast as hard-charging rippers with little style. In 2000, he watched Shane McConkey hit a 75-foot tabletop and quarterpipe in the Red Bull Huckfest on Snowbirds Big Emma run. Soon enough, he entered the burgeoning U.S. Freeskiing Open at Vail in 2001 and 2002, competing in halfpipe. (He dropped in switch to forward, then a straight air, and a big flair, then an alley-oop rodeo, then a 5, and an alley-oop, finishing with a 7.) Much of the course of his life has been more accidental than intentional, and after attending the University of Utah while working at Altas Deep Powder House ski shop, he says hes not sure whether or not he had goals to make it big or whatever. When I did the first freeskiing event at Snowbird, it wasnt like I wanted to be a Freeskiing World Tour athlete, he says. It was, Oh, I work at Alta, some buddies are doing the comp next door at Snowbird, and it sounds fun.

In an image-driven, highly competitive era in skiingwhere pro skiers have agents and boast about the number of Instagram followers they have and other brand marketing strategiesTabkes independence is refreshing. His modus operandi, while on skis, aligns more with skiers like Seth Morrison and Scot Schmidt who simply skied their way into fame and successfor no other reason than that was what they loved to do. It took me six years to get a bachelors degree, says Tabke, who double majored in international speech and Spanish. I wasnt charging through to move forward to the next thing. I was just skiing.

Tabkes working-class roots were on display last spring in his adopted hometown of Seattle, sitting in his 1988 teal Ford Escort station wagon, sipping Americanos and waiting to board a ferry. It was June and Id flown from Southern California to talk with him about skiing, life, and what it is like to exist halfway between fame and obscurity.

I left Utah because it is so simple, like a country club, theres no thought required, says Tabke, who moved to Seattle six years ago. I wanted to have to think about stuff, which is why Washington was cool because it was difficult. Despite the North Cascades close proximity to metropolitan Seattle, the surrounding backcountry does not offer the same convenient access as the Wasatch. In his free time, Tabke devours North Cascades mountaineering guidebooks. He reveres eccentric characters in the area, like Fred Beckey and the Skoog brothers, that have made the Northwest ski scene, Tabke asserts, a fringe culture.” His free time is scarce, though, as Tabke rarely stops moving. After summiting and skiing Mount Rainier two times in three days during a high-pressure cycle a week ago, he now wanted to surf off Washingtons Olympic Peninsula.

I think I obsess over surfing more than skiing, he says, his narrow face looking down at his weatherworn hands rolling a cigarette. He pulled out his iPhone and checked various ski blogs and ski sites (he regularly posts trip reports), then The Onion homepage. I refresh it 50 times a day, he said, helping explain his self-deprecating wit. A few hours prior, near his apartment on Seattles Beacon Hill, with countless guidebooks lining the bookshelf, we ate oysters with his girlfriend, Mia Monteaboro, at a neighborhood restaurant. The two met in college through a friend. A Santa Barbara native of Japanese-American descent who had never skied before or knew about the Wasatch Mountains, Monteaboro attended the University of Utah for its ballet program.

She was a total bun-head, to borrow a dancers term, Tabke said. Monteaboro works for a performance art dance company in Seattle and teaches ballet to girls when not in production. The couple, as Will Sumner contends, represent two of the citys best attractionsski mountaineering and dance. I like that Drews not just this skier guy, says Monteaboro. He thinks differently than most. And hes always restless. You think when he gets home from traveling the world hed want to slow down. But hes always going skiing somewhere or making midweek missions to surf on the peninsula.

When he and Monteaboro moved to Seattle, Tabke worked at a bagel bakery. I couldnt find a job, so I baked and delivered bagels from 2 a.m. to 11 a.m. four days a week. I thought it would make me a better ski mountaineer, preparing me for alpine starts. When hes not spending three monthsAugust, September, and Octoberin Chile working for an event company and ski guiding wealthy clients (he speaks fluent Spanish), he works at evo, the ski shop in Seattles Fremont neighborhood where he fits boots, from November to Christmas. Ski shops have subsidized his skiing, since North American companies dont fully support big mountain competitors. Tabke hasnt been bashful about that inequity, in stories for various ski media, using an outspoken confidence that doesnt read as whiny. After he won the 2013 world title, The North Face and Smith did not renegotiate his nominal contracts. Compared to his FWT European peers, who earn a years salary from ski sponsors, few world champions lose support in the prime of their careers.

Perhaps Tabke’s most infectious trait is his penchant for having fun and not taking himself, or anything really, too seriously. PHOTO: Adam Clark

Tabke is not one to promote himself, despite prodding from established pros, like Ian McIntosh, who once told him to grow a backbone and speak up for himself. Freeriders are analytical, he said, as we drove off the ferry after crossing through the Puget Sound. So much goes into route finding. You have to think. Otherwise youll break your leg.

He laughs, half-sarcastic, half-serious, reaching to roll the window down. After naming his first Praxis pro model ski the ProTest after the Chicano protestors of the 1960s (My dads favorite book is the Milagro Beanfield War), his fifth and latest pro model ski is the G.P.O.Giant Pacific Octopus. Im obsessed with octopus, he says. Theyre hugely intelligent. People dont understand them.

Tabkes hard work paid off last season, when Eddie Bauer and Giro signed him to handsome contracts. I asked if he felt vindication from the deal, a victory for big mountain competitors and himself. Im diametrically opposed to who I am as a walking advertisement, he said, laughing again at the contradiction. He dovetails into a diatribe about putting stickers on every single piece of equipment. But he pokes fun at the hypocrisy he preaches when he pretty much lives it. Its clear he accepts that conflicted fate but isnt completely comfortable with it.

Tall evergreens line the two-lane highway, like a tunnel to open space as we head toward the coast. Im a contrarian and like to start an argument to even out the conversation, he said with a grin. We passed a tranquil alpine lake, like the ones you see in commercials. Then he swerved onto a pullout on the side of the road and asked, Wanna have a beer?

Tabke represents many of his colleagues at the table of the Freeride World Tour. But peers also look to him for his life of the party spirit. PHOTO: Robin O’Neill

Tabke seemed out of place. He was surrounded by three cameras, a foot of fresh powder, and the silver birch trees of Japans northern island of Hokkaido. OKI’m gonna go now, he said. He made two turns, absorbed the transition, and launched off a felled branch, artfully tapping a mushroom of snow on a stump 12 feet off the snow, then stomped the landing.

This was Tabkes first time to Japan, and instead of navigating 50-degree avalanche-prone faces, he was lining up dreamy Japan powder on low-angle slopes on a snowy February morning. Its so great to travel and not compete, he says. Fellow FWT competitor and longtime rival, Swedens Reine Barkered, was there, too. Giro skiers Ingrid Backstrom, Riley Leboe, and Izzy Lynch accompanied the duo as well, searching for creative airs off the backside of Asahidake ski area.

While Tabke waited for the standard shoot setup, he hiked and toured like a rabbit, surveying the area. I have no patience, he said. I guess, though, its cool to slow down. Im realizing that freeride comps prepare you for any type of skiing.

Drews much better at this than me, said Barkered, one of the more aggressive skiers on the tour. Hes got a lot more natural style, especially in the air. Eventually, Tabke got the green light, charged the fall line in his neutral mogul stance, somehow blending power and precision with grace. His long, sinewy arms switched places at his sides, fluid and blithe. It was the type of skiing that makes you want to drop everything and go ski yourself.

In the lodge for lunch, he sipped an espresso with his legs crossed (ski boots on), talking with Backstrom about living in Washington. Earlier, I asked the female star why she vouched for Tabke to be on the Giro team. Its Drew, she said. Hes just such a great person, and skier, obviously.

Then an email came in saying that a friend of Tabkes, who he worked with at Altas Deep Powder House, died in an avalanche in Switzerland earlier that day. He looked stunned, then emotional, then perplexed how this could happen. Again. Two years ago, he lost his mentor, close friend, and head judge of the Freeskiing World Tour, Jim Jack, in an avalanche. Before that, he watched two peers die while competing on tour. He asked me, What do you do? Do you keep skiing when friends keep dying from skiing? I listened as he hung his head, looking for an answer. (As this story was going to press, Tabke lost another close friend, Liz Daley, to an avalanche in South America. The two were part of an Eddie Bauer-funded expedition in Argentina.)

We headed back out, and Tabke and photographer Adam Clark lined up a shot. The snow started to fall again, as it tends to do in 15-minute increments on Hokkaido. Visibility switched from good to questionable. Clark gave Tabke the call that he was ready. The maneuver didnt seem dangerousmake a few turns and air off the pillow to the left. Tabke pushed off, made a turn, the snow deeper than he thought, taking him off line. When he went to air the pillow, he didnt see a tree on the right and missed it by a few inches. It happened in just a flash of a few seconds, but Tabke made it out. What the fuck! he yelled after stopping to collect himself. It was the first time Id seen him truly rattled. He skied to the lodge, visibly shaken, and disappeared inside.

Back in Verbier, a month after the Hokkaido trip, the sound of icy turns reverberated off the rock walls. I gathered my bearings in the whiteout and trusted my edges, as I attempted to catch up to the world champ. The voice of the junior tour announcer on Baby Bec could not be heard. I crested a rollover and saw Tabke making ski mountaineering turnships facing downhill, arms out front, focused and wondered what Id gotten myself into. Eventually, I reached him after several teeth-chattering turns. That was weird, he said, laughing. Lets go up there and see if its better on the other side.

We skied across the face and contoured a bowl in an effort to gain a sub-peak. Tabke kicked off his bindings, strapped his skis to his pack, and started climbing on loose coral-reef-like rock. I followed suit but lagged behind, sweating through my mittens, attempting to find handholds and to trust my Vibram soles. I looked up and noticed Tabke had gained the col and was dancing around like a billy goat, carefree, almost boyish.

When I reached the top, he revealed his teeth, smiling, totally at home, despite the exposure. Man, I havent done this in a while, he said.

Hiking for turns with skis on his back is when Tabke feels at home, ceaseless thoughts clearing the air. PHOTO: Adam Clark

In five days, the weather window for the contest finally cleared. Tabke finished fifth, his best result of the season. But it was here, on top of this summit, where he breathed easy for the first time all season. He wasnt competing. He wasnt shooting photos or determining whether or not the terrain was safe to ski for 50 of his peers. It was as if he was back in Park City, airing bumps with friends, or at Alta, skiing knee-deep powder with his parents underneath the Wildcat lift.

After clicking in, he made one strong ski cut, then two tight turns before opening them up in a synchronized motion. He started hooting in childish glee as he glided down the slope that was as smooth as a pool table. Without analyzing or thinking about all the things he could have done or needed to do right then, he was in his element. Today, he was just skiing.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/digital-features/contrarian/feed/0TGR and McNutt Win Big at iF3http://www.powder.com/stories/tgr-mcnutt-win-big-if3/
http://www.powder.com/stories/tgr-mcnutt-win-big-if3/#commentsFri, 19 Sep 2014 17:49:51 +0000http://www.powder.com/?p=121341Last night, kicking off the IF3 2014 edition in Montreal, awards went out in several sub categories within the larger Pro, Open, and Amateur categories. TGR's 2014 release, Almost Ablaze, which premiered last weekend in Teton Village, Wyoming, took home Film of the Year, while TGR newcomer Nick McNutt won Rookie of the Year.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/tgr-mcnutt-win-big-if3/feed/0VIDEO: Comeback Kid Eric Pollardhttp://www.powder.com/videos/video-comeback-kid-eric-pollard/
http://www.powder.com/videos/video-comeback-kid-eric-pollard/#commentsThu, 15 May 2014 00:01:55 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=118288In February 2013, Eric Pollard suffered a near-career-ending injury while on assignment with POWDER in Russia. Last last season, he miraculously returned to snow, boosting hips, slashing wavy Mount Hood cornices, and skiing switch, all with his signature style.

Seven months ago, Nimbus released "Four Day Season" and this unreleased footage adds to the comeback portfolio.

]]>http://www.powder.com/videos/video-comeback-kid-eric-pollard/feed/2A World Aparthttp://www.powder.com/stories/world-apart/
http://www.powder.com/stories/world-apart/#commentsWed, 16 Apr 2014 19:42:03 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=117591It seemed like a hostile siege of the prominent big mountain tour, with so many questions outstanding as to how FWT Management, who owns the brand Freeride World Tour that started in 2008 and exclusive marketing rights, could legally make these decisions without consulting their North American counterpart that has produced big mountain contests since 1998.

Athletes and organizers had to have a lot of meetings last season. But the two organizing groups of the tour never formally spoke about the 2015 schedule and fate of the sport. PHOTO: Dom Daher

Throughout the challenging 2014 Freeride World Tour season, which saw the venues of three consecutive stops avalanche, forcing venue relocation or cancellation, athletes and organizers grumbled incessantly. It, sadly, devolved into a European vs. North American antagonism. The Euros grew frustrated with the absence of quality back-up venues in the case of Snowbird and Revelstoke, poor live webcast production quality, and athletes griped about uninspiring terrain unfit for FWT comps. Meanwhile, Americans defended their decisions and 15-plus years of putting on ski contests atop mountains with inhospitable locations while keeping in mind their IFSA ideals and roots. Still, though, few could have predicted what transpired last week.

In a press release with a subject line that read Exciting Novelties for FWT 2015, the Freeride World Tour announced the 2015 competition schedule. Therein, three items were notably absentspecifically:

1.A sixth stop, as the 2015 tour dropped one event, going from six to five while adding Andorra to the list and removing Courmayeur.2.A Lower 48 U.S. and Canadian stop. Instead, an unnamed location in Alaska with a 10-day-plus weather window.3.At that Alaska event, only men will be allowed to compete, therefore giving women only three stops to compete before the field is narrowed for the finals in Verbier.

Drafted and sent by the European-run Freeride World Tour Management, the release caught most by surprise, none more so than Mountain Sports International (MSI), the North American FWT production company.

Its a surprise to all of us, said MSI marketing and communications director Jessica Kunzer. We got the release when everyone else did.

It seemed like a hostile siege of the prominent big mountain tour, with so many questions outstanding as to how FWT Management SA, who owns the brand Freeride World Tour that started in 2008 and exclusive marketing rights, could legally make these decisions without consulting their North American counterpart that has produced big mountain contests since 1998.

We entered a phase of FWT development three years ago by collaborating with MSI towards a full merge of both companies, said FWT General Manager and Founder Nicolas Hale-Woods, who said they did indeed inform MSI of the new schedule, via e-mail from Australia. This collaboration has not been successful to our eyes on many points, both on the operation and the communication sides, which lead us to the conclusion of organizing FWT without MSI. The two companies entered a joint venture agreement two years ago without a signed contract.

Given the new event lineup, perhaps the FWT should be renamed the FET for Freeride Euro Tour? With only one North American stop in Alaskathe FWT is prospecting three locationsthe rich history of big mountain competitive skiing in North America has been completely hijacked. And although Hale-Woods confirmed that theyre hedging the growth and success of the tour on high-quality webcast production rather than on-the-ground spectators (similar to surfings Teahupoo ASP World Championship Tour contest), it robs North American FWT fans, potentially sabotages a growing market of youngsters, and, most notably, affects the current crop of North American athletes.

Despite widespread support of Revelstoke’s Mac Daddy venue, it’s off the table for the 2015 FWT calendar. PHOTO: FWT

Am I reading this right? Alaska is the only American stop? With no slots for women? wrote 2013 FWT overall champ Drew Tabke in an e-mail. Tabke, who is on the eight-member Pro Freeriders Board and has taken on the unflattering role of a pseudo-spokesperson for the actual going-ons of the tour, has been quite terse with his own frustrations this winter. His European counterpart, Swedens Reine Barkered, who won the 2012 overall tour and 2014 Xtreme Verbier, seemed to favor the news. I just saw AK was in there and Im really stoked, said Barkered. But its a bummer women wont be able to compete in Alaska and that Revelstoke is off the tour since it was such a steep venue with great vertical. As for the women, Squaw Valleys Jackie Paaso, who finished fourth overall on the 2014 FWT, chimed in all the way from South Africa. I didnt anticipate this, she said. I know they have been talking about adding an Alaska event and there are cost concerns associated with that, but people would be more accepting of the new schedule if women were included. Not all FWT venues are ideal, but its important to keep the fan base happy for the health of the sport. Its disappointing, for sure.

Alas, the announcement acted as a culmination of contention. But after the 2013 merger of the North American-based Freeskiing World Tour and European-based Freeride World Tour, it seemed big mountain competitive skiing was unified and on a positive trajectory. They crowned a true world champ with a legitimate prize purse, investments were made to improve webcast production quality, and a feeder systemthe Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ)was set in place to grow the sport while also giving the FWT elite status. With the release of the 2015 schedule, it seems the FWT has taken a significant step backward.

Obviously, tension is possible when working from different continents with different methodologies in volatile mountains, said MSI Project Manager Bryan Barlow, the man responsible for the North America stops. But were totally blindsided by this news made by FWT SA. After all the collaboration and compromise between USA and Europe FWT to build one system and then to wake up one day to this is disappointing, to say the least. At one time, there seemed to be a focus on building and unifying the sport of freeride, and not just about building a brand to sell. This leaves a huge void and unknown for the North and South America market and athletes, which was so key in the evolution of what freeride is today.”

Barkered expressed support for one less event, noting that it would give him and others more time for other projects outside the FWT calendar. That played to Hale-Woods assertion that the 2015 schedule decisions are about quality over quantity.

Moments like this at Snowbird, where American Lars Chickering-Ayers claimed the top spot of the 2014 FWT fourth stop, are in jeopardy on mainland North America soil. PHOTO: FWT

Freeride World Tours goal is to organize the best events on the best mountains, continued Hale-Woods. In the eyes of many riders, Alaska proposes the best mountains in the USA. But Alaska will be a tough one on the logistical side since well be in remote location mode, meaning we will need a lot of flexibility to move the group of riders and live webcast team around. This is why, for year one, we decided to go there with men only and limit the number of riders to 60 percent of the field. Furthermore, with the current financial parameters, it is not possible to organize an additional event for women only in North America. This is not the ideal set-up, but it is reality for 2015.

Although FWT still owns the rights to the FWQ and FJT (Freeride Junior Tour), it remains to be seen what will happen to the exciting skiing niche that, despite the 2014 weather challenges, seemed to be catching on, with increasing webcast and TV views. Notwithstanding, putting the cross-Atlantic conflict on the table and coming to an amenable collaboration seems doubtful, as of now, undoubtedly weakening the sport and leaving the future of North American big mountain competitive skiing with a giant question mark.

Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face 2015 Event Calendar

1. SWATCH FREERIDE WORLD TOUR CHAMONIX-MONT-BLANC BY THE NORTH FACE

Date: Jan. 24, 2015; Location: Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, FRA

Disciplines: Mens and Womens Ski and Snowboard

2. SWATCH FREERIDE WORLD TOUR FIEBERBRUNN KITZBHELER ALPEN BY THE NORTH FACE

Date: Jan. 31, 2015; Location: Fieberbrunn Kitzbheler Alpen, AUT

Disciplines: Mens and Womens Ski and Snowboard

3. SWATCH FREERIDE WORLD TOUR VALLNORD ARCALIS / ANDORRA BY THE NORTH FACE

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/world-apart/feed/21Finally! April Powder in the Sierrashttp://www.powder.com/stories/first-chair-blog/finally-april-powder-sierras/
http://www.powder.com/stories/first-chair-blog/finally-april-powder-sierras/#commentsThu, 10 Apr 2014 17:05:39 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=117502Finally, after the second significant storm of the sorry 2013-14 Sierra season, Mammoth was skiing like we normally know it. Locals called it the best week of the season, conditions resembling mid-winter. The trees and mini-golf lines off the backside around Chair 14 held cold snow. The trees of the Avy Chutes off Chair 22 protected the fresh snow from the standard Sierra wind. It felt like winter, except it was the first week of April, with the Final Four, Masters, and Easter on the horizon.

Piles of snow lined the perimeter of the Footloose Sports parking lot. Days-old snow rested on the bows of lodgepole and jeffery pine trees. Peering up at Cornice Bowl and the rock-hewn face of Whipeout and Dropout Chutes underneath Chair 23, the coverage looked good.

And it skied better. Finally, after the second significant storm of the sorry 2013-14 Sierra season, Mammoth was skiing like we normally know it. Locals called it the best week of the season, conditions resembling mid-winter. The trees and mini-golf lines off the backside around Chair 14 held cold snow. The trees of the Avy Chutes off Chair 22 protected the fresh snow from the standard Sierra wind. It felt like winter, except it was the first week of April, with the Final Four, Masters, and Easter on the horizon.

With more storms expected throughout the month, backcountry lines thought to be out of shape for this spring could be in this month and May. Hopefully more storms will yield more spring face shots like the above edit.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/first-chair-blog/finally-april-powder-sierras/feed/0“It’s Probably One of the Best Jumps Ever”http://www.powder.com/stories/first-chair-blog/probably-one-best-jumps-ever/
http://www.powder.com/stories/first-chair-blog/probably-one-best-jumps-ever/#commentsWed, 09 Apr 2014 23:37:43 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=117494Indeed, after four separate triple corks were thrown and landed among several unique features, Zacek's vision became reality, highlighted by 17 year-old Swiss skier Luca Schuler tossing silky smooth double cork 720s. Who knew a double could be thrown with such style, the speed of his rotation looking so slow and effortless.

Meanwhile, Swede Oscar Wester won the big air, with Schuler in second and fellow Sweded Jesper Tjader in third. Not to be outdone, Tjader threw a massive double back flip, transferring from one jump to the next. That's pretty ridiculous, as it looks like gravity doesn't apply to the Swede.

This past weekend in Livigno, Italy, a group of 25 invited skiers to the fourth annual Nine Knights contest flew high and fast and far off a giant 100-foot jump. Yes, 100 feet.

The event was founded by Euro wunderkind Nico Zacek, who sought to create castles of cool features that a roundtable of skiers and photographers, aka knights, could produce radness.

Indeed, after four separate triple corks were thrown and landed among several unique features, Zacek’s vision became reality, highlighted by 17 year-old Swiss skier Luca Schuler tossing silky smooth double cork 720s. Who knew a double could be thrown with such style, the speed of his rotation looking so slow and effortless?

Meanwhile, Swede Oscar Wester won the big air, with Schuler in second and fellow Swede Jesper Tjader in third. Not to be outdone, Tjader threw a massive double back flip, transferring from one jump to the next. That’s pretty ridiculous, as it looks like gravity doesn’t apply to the Swede.

Meanwhile, in the photography contest, Alessandro Belluscio took home the Best Action award. To view his photo and all the others, go to NineKnightSki.com.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/first-chair-blog/probably-one-best-jumps-ever/feed/5FWT Xtreme Verbier Finals Resultshttp://www.powder.com/stories/news/powder-picks-xtreme-verbier/
http://www.powder.com/stories/news/powder-picks-xtreme-verbier/#commentsFri, 28 Mar 2014 19:01:46 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=117213Heading into tomorrow's Xtreme Verbier finals for the Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face, Frenchman Loic Collomb-Patton leads the overall standings for the men, comfortably ahead of Kiwi Sam Smoothy and Switzerland's Jeremie Heitz. In fact, the FWT broke out the calculator and analyzed who stands the best chance of becoming the next world champ. The calculations proved Collomb-Patton has the advantage after winning the first two comps of the season.

For more photos, video, and info from the 2014 Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face, go here.

When Candide Thovex tells you to ski carefully, it’s probably a good idea to listen.

Heading into tomorrow’s Xtreme Verbier finals for the Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face, Frenchman Loic Collomb-Patton leads the overall standings for the men, comfortably ahead of Kiwi Sam Smoothy and Switzerland’s Jeremie Heitz. In fact, the FWT broke out the calculator and analyzed who stands the best chance of becoming the next world champ. The calculations proved Collomb-Patton has the advantage after winning the first two comps of the season.

But when it came time for the 27-year-old Collomb-Patton to seek advice on Verbier’s legendary Bec de Rosses venue since it’ll his first time on the intimidating face, he looked no further than fellow La Clusaz native and former FWT champion Candide Thovex for help. “Candide told me, ‘Hey, the Bec is not the same as elsewhere. Its really steep and theres tons of pressure at the top. Be careful,'” said the shaggy-haired Collomb Patton, who used to compete in X Games pipe contests before blowing out his knee in 2007. After struggling to finish in the top 10 in various pipe comps post-knee injury, he focused his skiing on the big-mountain arena, finishing fourth last year on the FWQ in his inaugural season competing. Now, he stands be the chance to stand atop the overall podium. “My goal is to survive,” he said of his first Bec experience.

Loic Collomb-Patton en route to a winning run at the first stop of the 2014 FWT in Courmayeur. PHOTO: J.Bernard/FreerideWorldTour.com

Undoubtedly, with the Verbier season snowpack half of normal and the menacing face looking even meaner with rock-pepper seemingly everywhere, survival is the name of the game. Fellow FWT competitors Lars and Silas Chickering Ayers, Ian Borgeson, and Reine Barkered could be heard echoing the same sentiment. So what’s it gonna take to claim the top spot on the most famous big mountain comp face in the world, in addition to unseating Collomb-Patton from the top?

Judging by the conditions, it’s doubtful many of the male skiers will be tricking off the top cliffs with so much exposure and hard snow below them. So much like Lars Chickering-Ayers’ and Heitz’s runs from the Snowbird stop, speed and aggressiveness will factor into the winning run. In that case, look for Barkered, Heitz, and Switzerland’s Samuel Athamatten to lead the charge, with the elder Chickering-Ayers going for broke as well. Wild card entrant and 2013 Bec winner Kevin Guri has to be considered a contender as well, while 2013 FWT world champ Drew Tabke, who finished outside the top 12 and was granted a wild card for the Bec, and Frenchman Julien Lopez have considerable experience on the face. As does another Frenchman, wild card entrant and former Aurelian Ducroz, who has been busy as of late sailing from Portugal to Brazil as a professional sailor.

Ultimately, if Collomb-Patton can channel Candide and just hang on for a good finish, then it’s his to lose. But Smoothy is not too far out and the Kiwi seemed loose this week in Verbier, which might spell success come tomorrow morning.

Currently in second place in the overall, Lorraine Huber splits her time between Australia and Austria. Will the Aussie-Austrian come out on top with a win on the Bec? PHOTO: J.Bernard/FreerideWorldTour.com

As for the ladies, they don’t start from the top of the Bec but rather off to looker’s right, splitting the regular face in half. It’s a bit dissapointing that the best of the best ladies don’t run their finals on the main face. But exposure is quite real on the Bec, so any mistake could be fatally serious.

Austrian Nadine Wallner looks to repeat as world champion, sitting in first place ahead of fellow countrywoman Lorraine Huber, Sweden’s Matilda Rapaport, and Squaw Valley’s Jackie Paaso. But if you watched the Snowbird comp earlier this month, no other woman on tour is skiing as fast as Huber. The Austrian, who spends half her time living in Australia, can win the overall if she wins on the Bec.Be sure to tune-in to Powder.com at 8:30 a.m. CET (that’s 12:30 a.m. PST) tomorrow to watch live webcast of the Xtreme Verbier finals. The order goes snowboard women, ski women, snowboard men, ski men.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/news/powder-picks-xtreme-verbier/feed/0FWT Verbier Xtreme Finals: Ian Borgeson Q&Ahttp://www.powder.com/stories/news/fwt-verbier-extreme-ian-borgerson-qa/
http://www.powder.com/stories/news/fwt-verbier-extreme-ian-borgerson-qa/#commentsTue, 25 Mar 2014 19:33:40 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=117149If you’re of the thinking that the Freeride World Tour doesn’t hold much influence on the youth demographic, remember the name Ian Borgeson. The 20-year-old from Dillon, Colorado, made the leap this season from the junior tour to the adult tour, achieving the one goal most seasoned Freeride World Tour skiers aim for: to finish in the top 12 in order to earn a coveted spot in the Xtreme finals on Verbier’s legendary Bec de Rosses venue.

Ian Borgeson says he likes “big airs.” Here he demonstrates in fine form at Kappl, Austria, en route to a seventh place finish on the third stop of the FWT. PHOTO: D.Carlier/FreerideWorldTour.com

If youre of the thinking that the Freeride World Tour doesnt hold much influence on the youth demographic, remember the name Ian Borgeson. The 20-year-old from Dillon, Colorado, made the leap this season from the junior tour to the adult tour, achieving the one goal most seasoned Freeride World Tour skiers aim for: to finish in the top 12 in order to earn a coveted spot in the Xtreme finals on Verbiers legendary Bec de Rosses venue. The versatile youngster cut his ski teeth ripping around A-Basins Pali lift with friends, and the product shows. Like most FWT veterans, he skis fast and aggressively. But what distinguishes his style from others is a fluidity and playfulness with terrain, as if hes skiing right off the Pali lift. Those attributes have landed him in ninth place in the overall standings, highlighted by a seventh place finish at the third stop in Kappl, Austria, and narrowly missing the podium at Snowbird with a fourth place finish on U.S. soil.

Since the Verbier Xtreme finals have been postponed due to weather and a lack of snow on the pepper-rock venue, the moppy blond-haired Borgeson has had time to assimilate to the renowned face. This past weekend, Borgeson and I had a chance to catch up while staring across at the Bec de Rosses after he just completed his first inspection of the menacing venue.

So this is your first time on the Bec. What did you think when you stood up there today?Honestly, standing up top it looks way more mellow than any other view Ive looked at it from, so I was feeling good.

Have you talked to anybody on tour or any locals to get some insight and information to help prepare you for the comp?Ive watched a lot of video and other old footage. Ive talked to Silas [Chickering-Ayers] who skied it last year for the first time and what he skied and going back and forth about the lines and airs.

Is it more fun or more terrifying?Probably more terrifying. The exposure makes it so. You can catch some fat airs up top and youre landing over so much exposure. If you mess up, youre going to the bottom, which is the scariest part.You were telling me earlier that this year started off a bit rough [finished 26th and 30th, respectively, at first two stops] for you, but youve rebounded big time the last two stops. Are you surprised at how well youve done or is this about where you thought youd be?My goal was to make it to Verbier this year, so Im definitely satisfied with my season already. I ate shit in Courmayeur and Chamonix, but it got better from there.

The 20-year-old grew up skiing A-Basin, evolving at a rapid clip. PHOTO: D.Daher/FreerideWorldTour.com

Has your style changed this year by advancing up into the adult tour?What I wanted to do was ski my style, which is fast and doing some trick if the venue has a feature. Im not really into doing small tricks; I dont think thats very cool. So Ive definitely become a faster skier.So how about this venue. Obviously its not in the best shape right now, but whats your strategy? Are you looking to take some airs or is your focus survival?Its definitely survival. Thats the number one priority. But theres a fat cliff off the top I want to hit thats scaring me because its really big. Im not really sure about the rest of it quite yet.

Do you prefer to start off with a big air or does it depend on the venue?I like big airs, so I usually look at the venue and photos and spot my line pretty easily. But the Bec is totally different. The sheer size of it when you look at it is just like, Whoa, I have no idea where I want to go. It takes a lot of staring at it.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/news/fwt-verbier-extreme-ian-borgerson-qa/feed/0Junk In The Trunk: Rocker Ski Rackhttp://www.powder.com/stories/first-chair-blog/junk-trunk-rocker-ski-rack/
http://www.powder.com/stories/first-chair-blog/junk-trunk-rocker-ski-rack/#commentsWed, 19 Mar 2014 18:53:36 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=117008 Too often now, I find myself jamming my rockered skis into racks that makes me feel as if I'm affecting the true profile. But regardless if your skis are rockered or possess full camber, the Rocker Rack keeps your skis nice and aligned in a neutral position free of profile manipulation. To boot, the spreader bars that fit all sorts of skis and boards also act as good hooks and pegs for gear accessories, like packs, skins, helmets, poles, etc.

Four houses down from where I grew up lived a mechanic and craftsman of high-performance speed boat engines. His garage was pristine in its order and cleanliness. Like any other 10 year old, it made an impression on me that lasts to this day with my own garage. Of course, my garage is filled with ski and outdoor gear rather than several-thousand-dollar boat engine parts. Nevertheless, I find myself taking pride in the arrangement and overall organization.

Enter the Rocker Ski Rack, founded and designed by Peter Burns Grossmann. Instead of leaning your skis against metal shelving or placing them horizontally on top of foam-layered rods, the Rocker Ski Rack allows for you to store your skis in a vertical position without altering the natural shape of the ski. Too often now, I find myself jamming my rockered skis into racks that makes me feel as if I’m affecting the true profile. But regardless if your skis are rockered or possess full camber, the Rocker Rack keeps your skis nice and aligned in a neutral position free of profile manipulation. To boot, the spreader bars that accomodate all sorts of skis and boards also act as good hooks and pegs for gear accessories, like packs, skins, helmets, poles, etc. Rather than a cheap piece of plastic, it’s from real steel handcrafted by the man who designed it, Burns Grossman. And it’s something you’d even mount inside your house in a mudroom or somewhere, featuring a panoramic mountain silhouette cut into wood.

To learn more about the Rocker Ski Rack and purchase your new ski storage setup, check out RockerSkiRack.com.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/first-chair-blog/junk-trunk-rocker-ski-rack/feed/5On and Off Againhttp://www.powder.com/stories/news/on-and-off-again/
http://www.powder.com/stories/news/on-and-off-again/#commentsTue, 11 Mar 2014 21:19:05 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=116823FWT officials decided to cancel the Revelstoke stop, unprecedented in the two years of the unified Freeride World Tour and super rare in recent terms of the world tour circuit. Furthermore, it’s the third consecutive FWT stop where the original venue slid during avalanche control work. The regular avalanche activity encapsulates the constant challenges FWT athletes have dealt with this rocky 2014 season.

Since March 1, Revelstoke Mountain Resort has received nearly 100 centimeters, or 40 inches, of snowfall. But the severity of yesterdays touchy snowpack situation in the backcountry could not have been predicted. Despite a considerable rating for avalanche terrain from the Canadian Avalanche Association, the Mac Daddy venue for Tuesdays scheduled fifth stop of the Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face ripped out to the ground in some places.

The event was mainly a result of temperatures spiking in the 40-degree-plus Fahrenheit range. Meanwhile, as FWT organizers were discussing other venue options in the adjacent backcountry, a snowboarder triggered a sizeable slide on one of the possible back-up venues. In turn, FWT officials decided to cancel the Revelstoke stop, unprecedented in the two years of the unified Freeride World Tour and super rare in recent terms of the world tour circuit. Furthermore, its the third consecutive FWT stop where the original venue slid during avalanche control work. The regular avalanche activity encapsulates the constant challenges FWT athletes have dealt with this rocky 2014 season.

I’ve never seen an event get cancelled in 10 years, says reigning World Tour champion Drew Tabke. I’ve never experienced a year like this, not even close, which is cool because every time you think you’ve seen every possible scenario play out, there’s another.

FWT organizers cancelled the fifth stop in Revelstoke. Despite the spring skiing, conditions were not primed for a big mountain competition on par with the FWT. PHOTO: David Carlier/Freeride World Tour

Although no one has been harmed by the avalanches, its been a tremendous strain on the competitors looking to prove their athletic worth while also solidifying the status of big-mountain contest skiing on a world-class level. In addition, the Revelstoke cancellation affects the qualification process for the finals on Verbiers storied Bec de Rosses face and those looking to earn enough points just to re-qualify for the tour next season. As for the Verbier Xtreme, only 12 males qualify and five females, which leaves Tabke, who is currently sitting in 22nd place, looking for a wildcard spot. Or is he?

If they offered a wildcard to me, I’d consider it, he says while taking a break from skiing with his family, who made the trek up to Revelstoke. While watching all of thatdiscussion of a back-up venue while patrol was literally probing for the snowboarder [who survived]I pretty much checked out for the whole year. It was fucked. That felt like the end of it to me.

As for those that are qualified, like Squaw Valleys Jackie Paaso, who is in fourth place, the Revy cancellation not only prevents her from moving up in the points race for first with a good finish leading in to the finals, but it also adds to an overall frustration with having to constantly adjust and refocus.

This year has been so stressful to be a part of the Pro Freeriders Board [a board of eight athletes who consult with FWT officials on big decisions] looking out for the interest of athletes while also focusing for myself as a competitor since there have been so many changes and issues, says Paaso. You wake up ready to compete, then the venue slides. Then you spend the next four hours wondering if you’re gonna be skiing over at this area or what. Everyone’s stressed about what’s happening next, worried about results and ranking, and also being mentally ready to perform. It’s been a tough year to go with the flow.

Paaso went on to describe how most athletes are simply acquiescing to Mother Nature with a Its 2014 What a rough season type of mentality. But its certainly not an enviable position to be in as a tour organizer or fan of the FWT. Perhaps this is simply an aberration on the FWT timeline. Yet the should-we-stay or should-we-go situations make it difficult for the young tour to evolve and gain more interest and eyeballs, which is to be expected when hosting events on giant mountain faces that are typically closed off or considered backcountry-only zones.

It’s the reality, continues Tabke. No one’s saying, We should wait for the weather window. This is how it is and there’s nothing we can really do about it. Last night felt like the last party of the world.

Im pointing right through these trees, launching here, and aiming for that smurf-like mushroom, responded Drew Tabke. Hopefully I dont take it between the legs.

After loading up on candy and nuts from the ubiquitous 7-Elevens, a crew of Giro athletes found themselves airing among birch trees on Japans northern island of Hokkaido for five days. Rather than night ski in Niseko, Tabke, Ingrid Backstrom, Riley Leboe, Izzy Lynch, and Reine Barkereda diverse set of skiers, to say the leasthopped in a Toyota van with 12 ski bags piled high and toured a few ski areas around Daisetsuzan National Park, which is translated as Big Snow Mountain National Park. Backstrom, Leboe, and Barkered had been to ski Japan before, while Tabke and Lynch fulfilled the skier dream of cultivating JaPow.To see if Drew tapped the mushroom successfully, be sure to check out the above gallery and the Digital Feature of this trip in the coming months.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/deep-dakes/feed/2FWT Snowbird Event Postponedhttp://www.powder.com/stories/news/fwt-snowbird-event-confirmed-sunday/
http://www.powder.com/stories/news/fwt-snowbird-event-confirmed-sunday/#commentsSat, 01 Mar 2014 17:41:44 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=116513It was thought the event might not run until later in the week with 22 inches in the last 48 hours and more snow predicted to fall tomorrow. But organizers felt the weather would be good enough for safety and visibility to host it at the classic venue in front of an expected large weekend crowd.

Officially measured as an eight-foot crown, snow sheared off from on Snowbird’s Low Baldy as a result of avalanche control work for venue preparation with the fourth stop of the FWT. Snowbird Snow Safety professionals said the “historic” slide ran 1,000 feet to the flats. PHOTO: Tristan Schroeder

UPDATE: (Monday, March 3) FWT organizers confirmed the Snowbird competition has been rescheduled for Wednesday morning and relocated to the Silver Fox venue.

BREAKING NEWS: (Sunday, March 2, 9:30 a.m. MST) Sunday morning, Snowbird ski patrol released a massive avalanche during their snow safety work on the North Baldy venue, where the fourth stop of the Freeride World Tour was scheduled to take place. The slide ran 1,000 feet and left a 10-foot crown. No one was hurt, but FWT organizers decided to postpone the competition until further notice due to snow safety precautions.

“Spirits remain high, but it’s the best venue at the resort right now,” says FWT athlete Reine Barkered. “So we’ll see if it’s able to happen in the next few days. I hope the slide didn’t destroy the whole venue.”

The competition window for this stop extends until Wednesday, March 5. FWT officials are meeting with ski patrol and the athletes to evaluate the situation and they will release more information later today. This year has seen challenging snow conditions at multiple FWT stops and this is the second time this year that a stop has been postponed due to an avalanche. FWT organizers decided to move the Fieberbrunn stop in Austria to nearby Kappl after a two- to five-foot crown released an avalanche on the original venue. The Revelstoke stop was also rescheduled from December to March because of snow conditions.

“It’s been a hard season always wondering if there’s gonna be a comp today or tomorrow type of situation,” says FWT athlete Jackie Paaso. “Due to snow conditions, things change. But it’s definitely a challenge to the competitor mindset.”

Snowbird has received over two feet of fresh snow since Thursday, and in preparation for the FWT comp, the North Baldy venue was not open to the public. Ski patrol performed control work on the venue throughout the week via ski cuts and charges. Stay tuned for more updates and further information about the FWT Snowbird competition.

(Saturday, March 1) Freeride World Tour officials just announced the fourth stop at Snowbird, Utah, will run live tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m. MST. Competitors have arrived the last few days, with an athlete inspection held yesterday on the North Baldy venue.

It was thought the event might not run until later in the week with 22 inches in the last 48 hours and more snow predicted to fall tomorrow. But organizers felt the weather would be good enough for safety and visibility to host it at the classic venue in front of an expected large weekend crowd.

Tune-in to Powder.com tomorrow for the live webcast of the Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face fourth stop at Snowbird, beginning at 10:30 a.m.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/news/fwt-snowbird-event-confirmed-sunday/feed/0Powder Picks: Snowbird FWThttp://www.powder.com/stories/news/powder-picks-snowbird-fwt/
http://www.powder.com/stories/news/powder-picks-snowbird-fwt/#commentsThu, 27 Feb 2014 20:28:19 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=116495Despite the unfortunate snowpack situation in the Sierras and Kirkwood and reasons for originally omitting Snowbird from the six stops of the unified FWT that debuted last year, it’s good for the sport to see the traditional venue back in play.

When Freeride World Tour organizers announced the decision to move the fourth stop of the six-stop global tour from Kirkwood to Snowbird due to conditions, many longtime big mountain competition fans and skiers nodded in approval. For 14 years, on the now defunct Subaru Freeskiing World Tour, the Snowbird stop held the title of the North American Freeskiing Championships and was revered by competitors for the terrainSilver Fox off the Cirque and the north-facing Mount Baldyand spectator scene. Despite the unfortunate snowpack situation in the Sierras and Kirkwood and reasons for originally omitting Snowbird from the six stops of the unified FWT that debuted last year, its good for the sport to see the traditional venue back in play.

It sucks the snow at Kirkwood didnt arrive cause its such a good time, but Snowbird is special, says reigning FWT champion and Utah native Drew Tabke, who currently sits in 17th place in the mens standings and won the 2011 North American Freeskiing Championships at Snowbird. Its probably the most core group of spectators in North America and Baldy is such a fun venue.

The mens and womens contest is scheduled to begin on Saturday, but with heavy snow in the forecast for this weekend, its looking doubtful the comp will run until early next week. As is the case for all stops, a five-day weather window will be in effect.

For 14 years, Snowbird played host to the North American Freeskiing Championships with comp venues off the Cirque and on Mount Baldy. PHOTO: MSI

Regarding the venue, it sounds like Mount Baldy is going to be the call, as it should be if conditions allow with its featured and staged terrain and amphitheater-like corral area for spectators. Unlike the other five stops on the tour, Baldy offers unique aspects that some skiers will prefer over others.

It’s [Baldy] totally different than the other five, says Tabke. On the other venues, there are so many no-fall zones because the terrain has so much exposure. But at Snowbird, theres less objective risk, which is cool because you’re not worried about falling off the mountain. So instead of steep, techy skiing, its big air and GS turns and really spread out.

What this means for skiers is that creative line choice sets them up for airs off of one of the four cliffbands and will have them finding transitions before opening it up into big turns before the next feature. So the styles of skiers like Tabke or Snowbirds Oakley White-Allen set up for this terrain much more than the hard-charging style of Swede Reine Barkered. Tabke also noted that unlike the on-course inspection that the defunct Freeskiing World Tour allowed, which gave skiers the chance to step out takeoffs for airs, the Freeride World Tour visual-only inspection adds another challenging element to keep in mind.

The Men:

On Monday, the FWT announced that they gave the wildcard nod to former Utah resident Sage Cattabriga-Alosa. While in Jackson shooting for next years TGR flick, Cattabriga-Alosa smiled big at the thought of returning to Snowbird to compete. One of my favorite runs [Baldy] in the world has been closed to skiers and now I get to ski in full powder conditionsits going to be awesome. Why wouldnt I accept the offer and compete?

Although the film star competes in the more freestyle friendly Swatch Skiers Cup series, he hasnt competed in a world tour since 2011. But you have to think with his intimate knowledge of the terrain and knack for finding cool airs and sending them with style that Cattabriga-Alosa is a real threat to podium. Just watching the former Little Cottonwood Canyon native ski Baldy in prime conditions is reason enough to head up and check out the comp.

Of course, Snowbird local Oakley White-Allen is a likely favorite despite having a rough go on tour this year. The Chickering-Ayers brothersLars and Silashave to be considered contenders as well with their Snowbird experience and simply being back home on North American soil the last month or so.

What will be interesting is to see how the non-American contingent adjusts to the staged venue with its relative benches instead of one giant fall line venue. Will someone like Italian Markus Eder, who is remarkably returning to the tour after finishing in 15th place in Mens Ski Slopestyle at the Sochi Olympics, step up and feel comfortable with the creative terrain? New Zealands Sam Smoothy, who currently sits in second place in the overall standings coming off his win January 31 at the last stop in Austria certainly could find his groove on Baldy with his versatile skills. And, of course, tour leader Frenchman Loic Collomb-Patton could again find himself atop the podium.

Jackie Paaso zeroed in at Chamonix, starting the season off with a victory. She’ll look to do the same at Snowbird. PHOTO: D. Daher/FreerideWorldTour.com

The Women:

As for the ladies after two stops (women dont compete at the Courmayeur stop), the race for number one is tight between the top six. The leader, Swedens Matilda Rapaport, has yet to win, finishing second in Chamonix and fourth in Austria. Last years inaugural FWT champion, Nadine Wallner, won on her home soil last month at the second stop in Austria. Shes tied for third with Tahoes Jackie Paaso, who sent it big in Chamonix and won the first stop. Meanwhile, Jackson Holes Hadley Hammer sits in fifth and looks to improve on her fourth and sixth place finishes.

Since the Americans have been home the last month, I look for them to settle in and send it on the Baldy venue, which sets up well for Paaso and her penchant for going big.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/news/powder-picks-snowbird-fwt/feed/0Rising Tide: The Future of Competitionhttp://www.powder.com/videos/rising-tide-future-competition/
http://www.powder.com/videos/rising-tide-future-competition/#commentsFri, 17 Jan 2014 02:34:14 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=115049In episode 11 of Rising Tide, we preview The Rise: The Future of Competition by Mountain Sports International. The North Face athlete Maddie Bowman talks about sit down with POWDER Editor John Stifter to talk about her thoughts on slopestyle and halfpipe contests in the future...

]]>http://www.powder.com/videos/rising-tide-future-competition/feed/0First Look: Atomic Bent Chetlerhttp://www.powder.com/stories/midseason-launch-atomic-bent-chetler/
http://www.powder.com/stories/midseason-launch-atomic-bent-chetler/#commentsThu, 16 Jan 2014 16:00:38 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=114955After five years of a relatively similar shape, construction, and aesthetic, the Bent Chetler looks and feels dramatically different from the five before it. Using what Atomic calls HRZN Tech, the new Bent Chetler features boat hull tips and tails with shaved edges, which is supposed to provide more playfulness and stability by blending ABS sidewall construction with across-the-ski (yes, horizontal) rocker.

Typically, when a professional skier is fortunate enough to earn his or her own pro model ski, the skis shelf life doesnt last more than a few years. In other words, in theory, its a fun idea, but the skier and brand lose interest pretty quickly due to competing ideas and motivations.

But Chris Benchetler and his Atomic Bent Chetler pro model are reversing the stereotype. As of today, Atomic released a limited number of the completely revamped Bent Chetler, the sixth iteration of the top-selling ski. After five years of a relatively similar shape, construction, and aesthetic, the Bent Chetler looks and feels dramatically different from the five before it. Using what Atomic calls HRZN Tech, the new Bent Chetler features boat hull tips and tails with shaved edges, which is supposed to provide more playfulness and stability by blending ABS sidewall construction with across-the-ski (yes, horizontal) rocker. In turn, HRZN Tech is supposed to add 10 percent more surface area in the tip and tail without increasing swing weight. The 27-year-old Benchetler conceived the innovative concept from a surfboard design that soul shredder Rob Machado used in one of his boards. After years of testing, he and his Atomic teammates found the sweet spot, with a 120mm waist (3mm thinner than years past) and a lighter wood core.

In an era of ego-minded athletes, its indicative of the humble yet eager sensibilities of Benchetler to not only retain a pro model but also to evolve his craft alongside Atomic. He weighs in on the new design from Japan, where hes undoubtedly putting his new shredsticks to the ultimate fun test.

POWDER: Six years ago, when Atomic approached you with the idea of a pro model, did you know right then what you wanted to design?Chris Benchetler: I think the idea of a pro model was something we created together, but by Atomic actually trusting in me and being able to work with such an amazing team of developers and engineers, it really allowed the ski to be taken to a higher level.

Describe how difficult (or maybe it wasn’t?) to redesign the construction of your ski each season. Was it something that you wanted to tinker with every year or leave alone?

I would say the difficult part for me is understanding the engineering side. Wanting to make adjustments to materials, flex patterns, etc., comes with the evolution of my skiing, but changing it properly is hard. The more I ski a specific shape the more ideas I have, the more conditions I’ll ski, the more feedback I can get from other riders, and the more there will be limitations that dictate change. With that being said, I generally try to change whatever I think will make the ski perform better.

Talk about the evolution of Bent Chetlers from year one to year five? How much changed?

The evolution has been rad. To create the very first generation was a huge honor and hurdle. We knew we wanted to build a ski that allowed for more freedom in pow, more fun, playfulness, agility, and flotation. And after a year of development, we achieved our goal. The next generations to follow were more or less small adjustments to enhance the performance. The earlier changes were with flex. Then we moved to lighter materials. Then we moved to the SPBs (carbon stringers) in the tip and tail to help stabilize the chatter in the rocker areas. And now, we have come up with HRZN Tech, which is a whole new ball game.

Now tell me about year six, as this is obviously the most dramatic shift in design. Is thisthe hull designsomething you’ve been thinking about for some time? How did you conceive this idea? What’s the goal with it?

The HRZN Tech has been in the works for a while. I knew I wanted to increase flotation without bringing out the waist width. The design itself was inspired from a surfboard I saw that Rob Machado shaped. He took a standard short board thruster and basically put a fish shape on top of it to allow for the best of both worlds. So the hope was to make powder skiing easier and more enjoyable once again. HRZN Tech allows the ski to move effortlessly across the fall line, through the chop, and schmear turns all while remaining in complete control. We narrowed the waist by three millimeters, and brought the length from 183cm to 185cm. And I can happily say it has far exceeded my expectations.

Benchetler enjoying the added 10 percent of surface area while shooting last night, or some night this past week, in Japan. PHOTO: Christian Pondella

A lot of skiers, including myself, remain blown away how a ski so large (at 123mm underfoot) can be this versatile. Do you think this new design will take away from that or add to it?

It absolutely adds to it. I’m still blown away. The ski is even more effortless to ski.

What’s your ultimate goal with this design? Certainly Atomic wanted it to evolve, but it couldn’t just be design for design sake. Give me your ideal run for this ski.

I wanted to create a ski that has very little tendency to dive in really deep snow, allow for even less limitations with butters and getting hung up in the tips or tails, and move with ease through any chop. My hope was to make a ski that would do exactly what I envision, even if it’s not realistic, whether that be holding a nose butter at 90, or reverting back and forth from switch to regular Ideal run would be a 1,500-foot face with endless featuresmaybe Travis Rice’s Ultra Natural course.

Obviously your graphics have a lot of personality and caricature imagery derived from Japan, Mammoth [Benchetler’s hometown], and surfing. But this is your least designed graphic for the ski. Did you tone it down on theme and colors on purpose?

Its actual probably my favorite graphic. There is still a ton of detail; its just very much on the tonal side. Atomic recommended we make a departure from the years past to really allow for it to stand out, and since my previous years were standing out in the other direction we landed on a tonal graphic.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/midseason-launch-atomic-bent-chetler/feed/6Powder Awards Raises Money for Non-Profit Partnershttp://www.powder.com/stories/powder-awards-raises-money-non-profit-partners/
http://www.powder.com/stories/powder-awards-raises-money-non-profit-partners/#commentsWed, 08 Jan 2014 21:44:24 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=114217The annual Powder Awards gives back to skiing in more ways than one. The 14th annual edition, held in Salt Lake City on December 6, raised over $10,000 for the event non-profit partners, High Fives Foundation and Wasatch Backcountry Rescue.

The annual Powder Awards gives back to skiing in more ways than one. The 14th annual edition, held in Salt Lake City on December 6, raised over $10,000 for the event non-profit partners, High Fives Foundation and Wasatch Backcountry Rescue. Show sponsors and brands that purchased VIP tables and consumers that made a mandatory donation to attend the show at The Depot in downtown Salt Lake contributed to the charitable cause.

The Truckee, California, based High Fives, who earned their 501c3 non-profit status in January 2010, benefits athletes that have suffered a life-altering injury while skiing or snowboarding. A partner of the Powder Awards since 2010, High Fives has become the most reputable and recognizable nonprofit in skiing, assisting people in a variety of necessary and fun ways, from financial support to physical and mental therapy to ski and surf outings. In addition to the VIP tables, the five photos representing the five Photo of the Year nominees were printed and framed and sold in a silent auction during the show. The money donated for the photos also went to High Fives. In total, over $7,500 was raised for High Fives.

For the second year in a row, the public was able to attend the biggest red carpet event in skiing and contribute to the Wasatch Backcountry Rescue. The 501c3 nonprofit was started by Snowbird Director of Snow Safety Dean Cardinale to aid in rapid response in avalanche and winter-related mountain rescue in the Wasatch Mountains east of Salt Lake City. A portion of the $12 mandatory donation the public was responsible for paying to attend the show went to WBR. In total, the public raised close to $2,500 for Wasatch Backcountry Rescue.

]]>http://www.powder.com/videos/rising-tide-episode-five-tgrs-style-progression/feed/0Rising Tide: From Valdez to Sochi, The History of Competitionhttp://www.powder.com/videos/rising-tide-valdez-sochi-history-competition/
http://www.powder.com/videos/rising-tide-valdez-sochi-history-competition/#commentsThu, 28 Nov 2013 20:07:31 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=112093POWDER Editor John Stifter talks with Scot Schmidt and Tom Wallisch about the history of competition in freeskiing, previewing The Rise, Episode 4 produced by Mountain Sports International. From the World Extreme Skiing Championships in Valdez, Alaska, during the early '90s to Sochi, Russia, in 2014 for the inaugural appearance of ski halfpipe and slopestyle in the Winter Olympics, Schmidt and Wallisch cover the spectrum.

]]>http://www.powder.com/videos/rising-tide-valdez-sochi-history-competition/feed/0POWDER Launches The Safe Zone and Avalanche Clinic – Sign Up Nowhttp://www.powder.com/stories/first-chair-blog/powder-launches-safe-zone-avalanche-clinic-sign-now/
http://www.powder.com/stories/first-chair-blog/powder-launches-safe-zone-avalanche-clinic-sign-now/#commentsWed, 27 Nov 2013 18:37:24 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=112079POWDER is proud to announce the official launch of The Safe Zone, a new microsite dedicated to avalanche education and backcountry resources. In conjunction with the new site, the first ever avalanche awareness and snow safety clinic, called The Safe Zone Clinic, hosted by POWDER will take place at Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort Dec. 13-15, 2013

SAN CLEMENTE, CA (November 27, 2013) – POWDER is proud to announce the official launch of The Safe Zone, a new microsite dedicated to avalanche education and backcountry resources. In conjunction with the new site, the first ever avalanche awareness and snow safety clinic, called The Safe Zone Clinic, hosted by POWDER will take place at Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort Dec. 13-15, 2013.

The Safe Zone provides skiers a clearinghouse of information with a simple goal of offering the best resources available for backcountry skiers. Providing relevant, quality content regarding general safety techniques, recent news from the field, gear reviews as well as direct links to every avalanche center in North America, The Safe Zone is the most complete online resource available.

“For years, POWDER has advocated avalanche awareness and education,” says POWDER Editor John Stifter. “With The Safe Zone, we now have a dedicated space to continue the conversation more emphatically while also acting as a resource for avalanche centers and brands to promote events, content, and gear we feel best enables our community to stay safe skiing inbounds and beyond the ropes.”

From December 13-15, The Safe Zone Clinic will focus on human factors in avalanche terrain-specifically, group dynamics and decision-making. It will include a standard avalanche awareness curriculum, rather than a heavy snow-science-based avie I program, with a 10:1 teacher/student ratio.

Led by Snowbird Supervisor of Snow Safety and President of Wasatch Backcountry Rescue Dean Cardinale, in addition to Snowbird ski patrollers and avalanche professionals, the clinic is available to the skiing public, including those looking to travel to Little Cottonwood Canyon for the first time as well as locals. The number of spots available to the public is capped at 50 to ensure proper instruction. Go to the Powder Store to find pricing for the class and Snowbird lift tickets and accommodation.

POWDER Editor John Stifter talks to The North Face athlete Tom Wallisch about the influence of The New Canadian Air Force on skiing today as we approach the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

In this exclusive interview series, POWDER Editor John Stifter sits down with the stars of "The Rise," The North Face's new 13-episode story about the history of freeskiing, told through the lenses of Teton Gravity Research, Sherpas Cinema, Stept Productions, and Mountain Sports International. Check back in the coming weeks to see interviews with Maddie Bowman and Nick Martini.

TELLURIDE, CO (Nov. 7, 2013) – “The Alaskan Way,” a 59-minute documentary film about the risks and rewards of heli ski guiding in Haines, Alaska, is now available online on Vimeo for free, starting today 11/15/13 at this link. The subject of an article in The New York Times last spring, “The Alaskan Way” is a story behind a story.

During the filming of “The Alaskan Way” a great tragedy occurred that nearly kept the film from ever being made and distributed. Alaska Heliskiing heli ski guide and avalanche forecaster Rob Liberman and client Nick DoDov perished in an avalanche on 3/13/12. This film’s purpose is to expose viewers to the circumstances discovered by a team of professional heli ski guides operating in the consequential environment of big mountain Alaskan terrain. Despite extensive training to ensure safety in the mountains the guides met a situation where all efforts still resulted in the loss of two lives and one lesson learned: The best can still have a bad day.

Viewers of the film can support avalanche awareness and education with a donation of $5 or more to the tip jar feature on the videos webpage. Ten percent of profits will be donated to avalanche education initiatives chosen by “The Alaskan Way” TV LLC including AIARE, The Nickolay Dodov foundation and The San Juan Field school in Telluride, Co. Please help us remember Rob Liberman, Nick Dodov, and the valliant efforts of their colleagues and friends. Please introduce your friends, families, and fellow powder skiers to the lifestyle that for a brief moment in time was captured and asks viewers to weigh the decisions made when committing to the pursuit of deep passion for deep powder.

]]>http://www.powder.com/latest-news/alaskan-way-documentary-explores-risk-reward-avalanche-terrain/feed/0Nimbus Launches Trailer For “Compass” Serieshttp://www.powder.com/videos/nimbus-launches-trailer-compass-series/
http://www.powder.com/videos/nimbus-launches-trailer-compass-series/#commentsThu, 14 Nov 2013 19:40:56 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=111371This trailer teases a three-part series to Russia, Italy, and Japan. According to Nimbus, the series is a further departure from a mass appeal approach to ski movie making.

Riding up the Summit Chair at Whitewater Ski Area on New Year’s Eve last year, I asked Sweetgrass Productions Director Nick Waggoner if he really felt that he could tell a storylike a real drama screenplaywithin a ski movie. I asked him if the ski movie format can answer the search for meaningthe search for childlike harmony in this modern, ever-connected world we live in. I wasn’t sure if it was the proper vehicle. Waggoner, 27, looked at the falling snow, then, in a moment of meditative-like thought and a challenge-like stare back at me, he chuckled and responded. I hope so. Youll see.

At downtown Denvers Paramount Theatre on Friday, September 13, Sweetgrass raised the curtains on their highly anticipated film, Valhalla, to a sold-out crowd. Publicized and promoted for being unconventional for its true narrative arc, Valhalla made it feel like Sweetgrass was on the verge of blowing up big time or self-destructing.

Despite a script that could have been edited for length and ethereal tone, and a segment that some may deem too analogous to Ken Kesey and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (Should I have been on LSD for that?), Waggoner and his Sweetgrass bretherenBen Sturgulewski, Zac Ramras, Mike Brown, and Max Santeusaniogave me what I wanted: a pensive ski film that is unlike any other recent iteration, and deserved of a place on my ski DVD bookshelf. Its one of skiings few big-budget, non-documentary films in the last 20 years that successfully tells a story, as in a ski movie with actors that dont even necessarily ski.

As has been noted here and elsewhere, Sweetgrass fourth feature-length film harvested interest for several reasonsmost notably, for its psychedelic trailers and the producers penchant for cinematographic excellence and desire to document stories of skiing on and off the slopes. The latter supplemented by Sweetgrass style of two-year projects, where they typically embed themselves in a regionJapan for 2009s Signatures, which won Best Cinematography at the 2010 Powder Awards, and South America for 2011s Solitairefor the majority of those 24 months. In this case, the bohemian enclave of British Columbias interior and Alaska acted as the Valhalla-like setting for the films plot. Combine that with a 50-page screenplay and a fictional protagonist named Conrad, played by underrated skier Cody Barnhill, and Valhalla elicited excitement and wonder in anticipation.

The expectant crowd outside the Paramount Theatre in Denver, Colorado last weekend at the world premiere of Valhalla. PHOTO: Max Santeusanio

I found myself practically biting my nails hoping the audience would approve of Sweetgrass latest release because I wanted this attempta thoughtful story to be told within a ski filmto actually work. Do ski audiences merely desire hedonistic films with athlete/location-centric segments? Was this going to be a melodramatic vision quest of existential wanderlust? Instead of ski porn and canned athlete interviewsbro this and sick that, and so epic!I desperately wanted to feel the soul of skiing through film. And maybe, like the protagonist Conrad, I longed for that childhood innocence to return and excite me into a frenzy for ski season by sitting in a theater for 60 minutes and watching skiing on the silver screen.

To start, it is undoubtedly clear digital technology has augmented cinematography to unprecedented quality, as the Red cameras shoot such a tack sharp frame, especially seen in slow-mo pow shots. Of course, it requires skilled lensmen, and Waggoner and Sturgulewski excel in that department, with their composition and post-production color. And it helps to be shooting A-level ski talent, as well, with rippers Eric Hjorleifson and Pep Fujas making their Sweetgrass debuts, while giving Sweetgrass a massive step up in skier ability from the past due to film-sponsor alignments with Dynafit and Patagonia.

Barnhill, longing for fulfillment and a return to that inner child, was cast perfectly for the character of Conrad, as the viewer follows his journey from Southern Utah to a hippy commune in the Kootenays of B.C., where he meets those searching for the sincerity in a powder co-op, along with a character played by the ever-dramatic Sierra Quitiquit. Eventually, he thumbs it north to Alaska, where, not surprisingly, the best riding of the film takes place, highlighted by Fujas, Carston Oliver, Zack Giffin, and some of the most graceful snowboard pow shredding Ive seen since the cult-like Mack Dawg and Standard Films movies of the mid-’90s. This journey unfolds in six chaptersbirth, youth, adolescence, adulthood, legacy, and rebirthand artfully weaves the purity of skiing and the spirit of our tribal-like culture into Conrads search for authenticity.

Cody Barnhill plays the film’s main character, Conrad, who travels to a commune in B.C. in search of fulfillment and a sense of youth. PHOTO: Max Santeusanio

But its not all so story-heavy seriousness. The film includes the first entirely naked ski segment, full of nips and asseven a flatspin 3 thrown by a skier wearing nothing but an avalanche beacon. Its hilarious and wonderful and another reminder of why we love skiing, mirroring the up-and-down trajectory of life. Add that to a segment shot in the overgrown forest near Mount Baker without snow during June and July with skiers airing creeks, sliding moss-covered felled trees, boosting log jams, and even jibbing a giant evergreen.

Ultimately, Ive never watched a ski film where I wanted to read the script, like I would a drama film. Valhalla may not enter the ski-porn movie masterpiece pantheon, but its certainly the most thought-provoking and original take on the ski film genre in a long time. That, and the cinematography, makes me want to watch it again. And again. In this absurd pastime known as life, authenticity can be difficult to discover. Yet the chill-inducing conclusion to Valhalla makes believers out of inquisitive cynics that long for the youthful innocence of staring up at snowflakes for the first time.

How did the crowd react to Valhalla? Some said it was free spirited, philosphical, and made them want to ski naked. PHOTO: Max Santeusanio

—

Valhalla premiere viewer responses as told to Sarah Ward

I did really appreciate the spiritual aspect of the film because I get that out of skiing. Good writing, good message. If I had one word to describe it I would say heady. Andy 30, backcountry skier

I was going to say artsy not heady. It was more like soul skiing. I want to ski naked now! Andys friend

Every time you go see them [Sweetgrass], youre reminded that they are not a normal ski movie. Eli, 20, backcountry skier

You cant remake this movie, thats for sure. This is like a different category of movie, a different category of skiing. Rebecca, 23, intermediate resort skier

]]>Nearly every day at POWDER HQ, Director of Photography David Reddick calls me into his office to look at photos from around the globe. He seeks input in order to narrow down selections from contributing photographers. And, unfortunately, several quality images get passed over for a variety of reasonsmost notably, space. Only so many photos can run in the magazine or be featured properly online.

Simultaneously, we receive several different story pitches and submissions throughout the year. And again, for different reasons, we’re only able to feature a handful of the best ski stories in the world. Like photos, we miss out on showcasing beautiful content that either doesn’t fit thematically in the magazine or for a story online.

Tired of seeing too many awesome photos and stories falling to the cutting-room floor, POWDER introduces the inaugural Flipbook Series. The new digital medium serves as another radical resource of ski content, with a behind-the-scenes look and feel of another captivating ski tale.

Kicking off the POWDER Flipbook Series is a story told by writer Griffin Post and photographer Mark Fisher of their 2,700-mile trek to Alaska from the Lower 48. Click “Expand” above and enjoy the words and images that have risen from the cutting-room floor to your skier’s soul.

]]>http://www.powder.com/videos/watch-stept-productions-edit-of-torin-yater-wallace/feed/0The Story Behind Super G TV Episode 23http://www.powder.com/stories/the-story-behind-super-g-tv/
http://www.powder.com/stories/the-story-behind-super-g-tv/#commentsTue, 04 Jun 2013 22:38:22 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=96077You could call it the most voluminous discography of marketing manager ski edits with Super G TV. But Super G's efforts are more than that. Combining soul with the most genuine stoke and stomps in the amateur big-mountain game, Super G and his 23 edits have been an inspiration to us all, especially when sitting behind an insurance salesman-like desk, trying to pen ski stories in Southern California.

It’s been noted here and there that Smith Optics Team Manager Gabe Schroder is the best skier in ski marketing. Now that the Denver native turned Ketchum local dropped his latest Super G TV edit, it’s hard to argue.

You could call it the most voluminous discography of marketing manager ski edits with Super G TV. But Super G’s efforts are more than that. Combining soul with the most genuine stoke and stomps in the amateur big-mountain game, Super G and his 23 edits have been an inspiration to us all, especially when sitting behind an insurance salesman-like desk, trying to pen ski stories in Southern California.

For episode 23, we asked Super G for his take on an edit produced in his backyard near Galena Summit outside Ketchum, Idaho.

POWDER: This is radical-looking snow and conditions for Idaho. When did you shoot this?Super G: We had a maritime snowpack in December here, which is super rare since it’s usually so cold that time of the year. It was all filled in and looking good, so we went out there and sent it.

No doubt you sent it. You cranked the throttle pretty hard for December with some of those airs.Well, you can’t wait around for another storm around these parts because we don’t get a lot of snow here. The conditions called for some air time.

Where exactly are those shots from up there?We have a bunch of roadside hits north of town. Basically, it’s just park ‘n’ huck.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/the-story-behind-super-g-tv/feed/1Remembering Doug Abromeithttp://www.powder.com/stories/remembering-doug-abromeit/
http://www.powder.com/stories/remembering-doug-abromeit/#commentsWed, 29 May 2013 23:38:44 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=94981Doug Abromeit, an avalanche safety luminary, died last week while mountain biking with friends in Idaho. According to reports, the 65 year old was out ahead of his biking group, and when they rolled up to him, he was lying on the ground while still clipped into his pedals.

A man who has saved countless lives by mitigating and preventing avalanches, lost his own out in the mountains. Doug Abromeit, an avalanche safety luminary, died last week while mountain biking with friends in Idaho. According to reports, the 65 year old was out ahead of his biking group, and when they rolled up to him, he was lying on the ground while still clipped into his pedals. An official cause of death has yet to be confirmed.

As surprising and sad his untimely may be, friend and Utah Avalanche Center Director Bruce Tremper said that Abromeits death was a fitting metaphor for his lifeclipped in to doing something active with his boots on the ground.

During his formative adult years, Abromeit was a ski patroller at what was then called Schweitzer Basin (now Schweitzer Mountain Resort) in Northern Idaho during the winter and a smokejumper with the U.S. Forest Service in the summer. Eventually, in the ’80s, he became a snow ranger with the Forest Service and was appointed to Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah. While there, he monitored the use of military artillery for avalanche control work since the Forest Service owned the land and procured and operated the weapons.

It was hard for someone to come in and assume that position, but everybody warmed to him quickly, remembers UDOT Highway Avalanche Safety Program Supervisor Liam Fitzgerald, a close friend of Abromeits and avalanche forecasting legend in his own right. By the time he left Utah to go to the Ketchum Ranger District in Idaho, he made a whole bunch of friends. He was a real facilitator.

He was a perfect snow ranger, says Tremper. He was a very good skier and had an avalanche control background while working as a patroller. Plus, he was like a friendly golden retriever, just winning people over with his smile and gentle nature.

Friends remember Abromeit as someone who was an avid skier, climber, and biker, while making others smile with his own. PHOTO: Courtesy of Karl Birkeland

After settling in Idaho, he was the national coordinator for the military artillery for avalanche control program. He then formed the Forest Service National Avalanche Center in 1999, where he became the director and colleague Karl Birkeland was the avalanche scientist. In that role, Abromeit coordinated all the snow rangers at ski areas where there was military artillery, while providing guidance to avalanche centers and establishing others, from Tahoe to Alaska, to improve the level of service and provide consistency across all the different centers. In 2011, Abromeit retired from his director role and Birkeland took over the position for the Forest Service Avalanche Center.

PHOTO: Courtesy of Karl Birkeland

Doug was so good at working with people, says Birkeland, who worked with Abromeit for 14 years at the National Avalanche Center. He was really good at finding consensus, and a lot of this work requires teamwork and establishing partnerships to make things work. Hed have everybody smiling at the end of the day. On top of that, Birkeland notes how often Abromeit got out in the field to teach avalanche courses, act as a professional resource for media like POWDER, and make powder turns.

Last year, I spoke with Abromeit for over two hours about backcountry safety and avalanche education. Like his colleagues and close friends noted, his demeanor and voice were soft but charming, and he made time to share his wisdom on snow science and safety, especially his recent work with the National Avalanche School.

He gave back to a sport he and we all love, so we could do what we want in the mountains, says Tremper. He was a mentor, gave great advice, and was a central figure in our community by saving so many lives.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/remembering-doug-abromeit/feed/2Kim Jong-un Wants to Build a Ski Resort in North Koreahttp://www.powder.com/stories/kim-jong-un-wants-to-build-a-ski-resort-in-north-korea/
http://www.powder.com/stories/kim-jong-un-wants-to-build-a-ski-resort-in-north-korea/#commentsTue, 28 May 2013 23:40:06 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=94909Skiing has reached a new political height, as Kim Jong-un, the supreme leader of North Korea, announced plans for his military (yes, a military) to build a "world-class ski resort" in his nation by next winter to rival 2018 Winter Olympic host and longtime neighbor and enemy South Korea. The Korean Central News Agency quoted Kim as saying, “A skiing wave will seize the country," once the resort is completed.

As for mountain specifics, the massive resort at the Masik Pass Skiing Ground will be spread over 68 miles of mountainside, which would unofficially allow for 27 terrain parks of all levels. According to the report, the highest peak in that range is only 4,400 feet. Apparently, Kim could care less about climate change science that predicts that low-elevation ski areas will be extinct in 50 years. Due to U.N. sanctions on imported goods, Kim also called for the immediate production of ski equipment and apparel.

Aside from adversarial motivation, Kim may have a sincere desire to shred, as he studied abroad in Switzerland for seven years while vacationing over holidays with his family in Interlaken, an alpinist hotspot in the shadow of iconic peaks as the Eiger and Jungfrau.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/kim-jong-un-wants-to-build-a-ski-resort-in-north-korea/feed/1Smith Optics Donates $26,000 to Sarah Burke Foundationhttp://www.powder.com/stories/smith-optics-donates-26000-to-sarah-burke-foundation/
http://www.powder.com/stories/smith-optics-donates-26000-to-sarah-burke-foundation/#commentsMon, 20 May 2013 23:37:05 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=94275“We wanted to find a way to support Sarah and her legacy,” says Gabe Schroder, Smith’s ski promotions manager. “Sarah meant so much to this brand, we wanted to honor her by raising money to support the Sarah Burke Foundation and its mission. We know this donation will be put to good use and hope it continues to raise awareness for her foundation.”

After the tragic passing of Sarah Burke in January 2012, the ski community lost an icon. To ensure her legacy, her family, with the help of friends and Sarah supporters, started the Sarah Burke Foundation, which supports those in need as Sarah did and would have continued to do so.

To honor Sarah, Smith Optics, her longest-running sponsor, created a limited number of I/OS goggles, inspired by her favorite colors, sayings, and designs. In just a couple of months after releasing the Sarah Burke Memorial I/OS goggle, Smith announced theyre sold out of the limited-edition goggle and will be making a donation of $26,000 to the Sarah Burke Foundation.

We wanted to find a way to support Sarah and her legacy, says Gabe Schroder, Smiths ski promotions manager. Sarah meant so much to this brand, we wanted to honor her by raising money to support the Sarah Burke Foundation and its mission. We know this donation will be put to good use and hope it continues to raise awareness for her foundation.

According to Smith, the donation will be used to assist Sarahs favorite charity, The St. Judes Children Hospital, as well as make it possible for future generations of winter sports athletes to achieve their dreams.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/smith-optics-donates-26000-to-sarah-burke-foundation/feed/0Chairlift Chat: Daron Rahlves Q&Ahttp://www.powder.com/stories/chairlift-chat-daron-rahlves-qa/
http://www.powder.com/stories/chairlift-chat-daron-rahlves-qa/#commentsTue, 14 May 2013 20:55:34 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=92911Running four consecutive weekends with four competitors in ski and snowboard per heat, racing down a course in about two minutes, the Banzai Tour starts at Kirkwood, goes to Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley, and finishes off at Sugar Bowl with the super final.

Coming in hot, the Rahlves Banzai Tour is unlike any other ski event in the world. PHOTO: David Clock

If youve ever talked to Daron Rahlves, you know two things: Hell talk to you until your iPhone battery dies, and youll be motivated to do pretty much anything, especially ski. So it was disappointing to hear that the founder of the Rahlves Banzai Tour dislocated his hip for the sixth time on March 2, in qualifying at the Squaw Valley tour stop.

Yet the 39-year-old former Olympian and Hahnenkamm champ isnt one to stay down and out. Within a few hours of his injury, he fielded phone calls for the tour he founded, ensuring the Squaw event and tour finished in grand fashion. Running four event weekends with four competitors in ski and snowboard per heat, racing down a course in about one to two minutes, vying for an $80,000 purse, the Banzai Tour starts at Kirkwood, heads to Alpine Meadows, hops over to Squaw Valley, and finishes off at Sugar Bowl with the Super Final.

Fresh off an elective surgery to his hip, where a Reno doctor repaired his capsule and labrum plus shaved bone to eliminate a cam lesion, Rahlves was eager as ever to share his thoughts on the third year of the tour that bears his name.

POWDER: First off, hows the hip and how are you feeling?Daron Rahlves: Im feeling good. No pain, but limited with what I can do for now. I found a great doctor in Reno after a lot of research for the best approach. Instead of risking it in Alaska with TGR and jeopardizing my safety and the crew, I decided to get surgery on this thing.

Are you walking?No, I cant put full weight on my right leg for four weeks, so Ill be crutching around a little longer.

Tell me about the third year of the Banzai Tour? How did it fare in your estimation?It was great because I was the worse crash that happened, which is a good thing [laughs]. Nah, it was awesome because of the challenging courses, good weather and snow, full tilt skiing and fired up competitors.

How do you see the Banzai Tour fitting in to the ski competitive landscape with ski racing and Freeride World Tour events?The Banzai is unique and stands out on its own. Skiing and riding natural terrain, top to bottom is what I call the most pure form of racing. Its how I grew up: bombing down the hill, hitting jumps, and racing friends to the bottom, yelling, Last one down is a rotten egg. I look at traditional ski racing on TV and its missing excitement. It was fun for me, but 90 percent of people watching just wait to see the clock. Ski/Boarder cross is exciting, but the confined space between turns is tight and limits clean passing opportunities. And then you have the manmade features that cause a lot of injuriesway more than Banzai or ski racing. Its cool to see the FWT have both tours under one now, and they do a great job exposing the event and giving the competitors awesome venues to ride. Its different with judging but demands a high level of execution and skills to come out on top.

What about Banzai?On Banzai, you have this super fun course to ski with all the natural features and flow for a fun roller-coaster ride. You win the Banzai? Youre the fastest skier on the mountain, hanging on in any conditions. Plus, Banzai seems to be the easiest to understand as a viewer. For those watching, its easy to relate to cause its held on public runs at mountains that everyone gets to ski. The wow factor is unmatched.

Have any FWT athletes entered a Banzai event?Ralph Backstrom, the 2013 Freeride World Tour snowboard champion, came out for the first event in Kirkwood and got seventh. Canadian skier Laurent Gauthier on the FWT was eighth at Squaw. Right now, the tour is still growing its reputation, so to draw the big names is difficult. The Freeride World Tour has live TV, so those athletes get more exposure. We need time to grow, brands to come on board, fan and competitors to believe in it, and more cash on the line. Obviously Im biased, but Banzai is much more fun to watchboth live and on TV.

So how do you see the tour evolving next year and beyond with what youve learned?For 2014, a bigger prize purse, better exposure, and well run events. I want the RBT to become a well recognized and credible tour. Tahoe is home, but Ive put thought into expanding to new locations. Right now, I have these four venues wired and the goal is to draw athletes to come out and pressure the Tahoe locals to defend home turf.

Going for broke and big-ass air on the 2013 Banzai Tour. PHOTO: David Clock

Youve mentioned before how imperative it is to find the right track or course elsewhere if you were to grow it outside of the Tahoe venues. Any update there?Yeah its tough because it has to be wide open with unique terrain. Its not ideal to have tree-lined runs that flush straight down the mountain. A good base area to finish in is important, too. I look for top to bottom runs with stacked terrain and an area that has a strong pool of potential competitors. Ive got my hands full with a four-event tour, but keeping the thought open of adding an event in the future is possible. Events in February and March are ideal. Plus, Im trying to balance this with my own career, which includes filming, sponsor obligations, and helping a few athletes on the World Cup. I look forward to scouting some resorts next winter for a potential new venue.

Talk about the challenges youve had as both a competitor of the tour and the event organizer.As a competitor in the past Ive only competed in the Super Final, taking on the winners from each event in a five-man battle for $10,000 winner takes all. The four guys who earn a spot in the gate are hard charging competitors, so its a lot of pressure. Up till now, I haven’t been beat. As event organizer, theres so much going on and I oversee everything with help from an event team. We faced timing issues in qualifying at Squaw. That was a mess. After my crash, I was in the hospital, then back home that night on the phone talking to my event guys trying to figure it out. That went into the next day and to make it more difficult we had nasty weather on Sunday threatening our event. Not ideal and we had a few competitors that were telling me it was bullshit, but Im trying to be fair and looking out for the safety of all.

A few close-call finishes in 2013 forced Rahlves to upgrade to new finish-line technology, ensuring accuracy. PHOTO: David Clock

You probably never thought back in your racing years that youd be on that end of competition, huh?No way. Im a competitor, but have slightly morphed into a promoter. As a racer, I worked hard and then put it all on the line. Events I did were all set up and the plan was to show up and go. I gave props to the organizers and thanked the officials, workers, and sponsors and fulfilled my media opportunities, but running an event series like this takes endless effort and working with good people to pull it off for others. Looking back I appreciate all the events Ive done more than ever.

Talk about an instance that transpired this last year that represents the evolution of where the RBT is at moving forward.Our men ski final at Alpine, Jesse Maddex won by inches at the line over John Bochenek. Some disputed the human call, but at the time all we had was that. Luckily we found photo and video images verifying our call. Learning from that, we installed a Finish Lynx camera at the next two stops. Its amazing that it can come down to inches in a Banzai. On top of technology to help us, Im looking to hiring a key person as a Technical Delegate to look after on hill event operations. On event weekends, Ive been the guy floating around keeping tabs on everything and needed to have all the answers, so that would certainly help.

For more information on the Rahlves Banzai Tour presented by Bank of the West, go to RahlvesBanzai.com.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/chairlift-chat-daron-rahlves-qa/feed/3Chairlift Chat: Drew Tabke Q&Ahttp://www.powder.com/stories/chairlift-chat-drew-tabke-qa/
http://www.powder.com/stories/chairlift-chat-drew-tabke-qa/#commentsThu, 02 May 2013 12:00:26 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=91515In the last decade of competitive big-mountain skiing, perhaps no one has had as much of an athlete presence as Drew Tabke. So it’s no surprise the man nicknamed “The Flying Hawaiian” would claim the world championship of the inaugural Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face. On March 22, Tabke narrowly won the overall title of the six-stop series, finishing sixth on the famed Bec de Rosses venue at Verbier, 40 points ahead of the Swede Reine Barkered in the overall.

In the last decade of competitive big-mountain skiing, perhaps no one has had as much of an athlete presence as Drew Tabke. So its no surprise the man nicknamed The Flying Hawaiian would claim the world championship of the inaugural Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face. On March 22, Tabke narrowly won the overall title of the six-stop series, finishing sixth on the famed Bec de Rosses venue at Verbier, 40 points ahead of Swede Reine Barkered in the overall.

A niche genre of a niche sport, competitive big-mountain skiing has largely gone unnoticed by mainstream North American ski media. The underside of the glitz of X Games or glamour of ski film, big mountain contest skiing requires a tougher kind of passion. And Tabke, 28, a nine-year journeyman of the now defunct North American Freeskiing World Tour and European Freeride World Tour, has been a charter member of the genre by championing its history and importance to skiing, practically shouting for respect against the more accepted varietals of ski stardom.

Now, with nearly 1,000 competitors on the Freeride World Qualifier Series vying to gain a spot on the 2014 FWT, the world champ weighs in on the true victory of his efforts: growing a sport hes dedicated his life to the last decade.

POWDER: With the fully unified tour, there was probably more interest in this side of the sport than there has been in a long time. Now that youve had a month to reflect, does it feel different?Drew Tabke: It feels big, for sure, because I won the Freeskiing World Tour in 2011, but at the same time, there was a separate tour going on in Europe with its own world champion. When I won before, there werent as many athletes or people watching. So Im definitely aware of the scale of it, especially since Ive seen it grow and go from not that many people knowing about it to now knowing there are 100,000 people watching the live shows from around the world.

The inaugural FWT world champ, Tabke raises the cup in front of a passionate freeride audience in Verbier. PHOTO: D.Carlier/FWT

During the season, I spoke to you and Griffin Post [who finished 15th overall on the FWT] and you guys both remarked how it felt legit and like a real world tour. What are your overall thoughts of the first year of the tour?Weve always had the talent, so Im not surprised at the level of skiing as much as Im impressed with the organizersFreeride World Tour [European event organizer] and MSI [Mountain Sports International, North American event organizer]and how they figured out how to cooperate globally. To me, that was the real breakthrough. Youve had the same athletes and organizers for a lot of years, but its more about how they learned to work together to put it out to a bigger audience.

What were some standout moments for you during the season?Seeing American riders who had never traveled to Europe before get over there, be in the Alps, and get in the heli was f–king awesome. Their minds were blown. And in Fieberbrunn, we waited beyond the official weather window to do the competition. But since we overstayed the hotel availability, they moved us out of this four-star Austrian hotel into these army barracks with like, 60 bunk beds in a row, shared showers, common room, and mess hall. And nearly everyone on tour decided to say in there. It was awesome, because you got all these pro riders competing against each other and it felt like summer camp, the one you always wanted: hanging out watching ski movies, looking at photos, talking about skiing, girls hanging out in the boys roomit was so fun.

The media played up an American and European rivalry with the union of the tours. Howd that play out?You expect people to get along, because youre skiers, youre doing fun shit, but it went above and beyond what I thought. It was almost weird, because you almost forgot how competitive youre supposed to be because everybody got along so well. Which is so cool when you have an event come together like this. On the Freeskiing World Tour, everyone was couch-surfing and nobody was making any money, to now its become more legitimate and something people are basing their careers around, you expect that to be lost. But it seems to be somehow still intact, the good parts of being a ski bum, where everyone gets along and takes care of each other.

Tabke points 'em at the fifth stop of the tour on the dicey venue at Fieberbrunn. PHOTO: J.Bernard/FWT

Youve mentioned before about the massive influence Jim Jack had on the daily psyche of everyone on tour. How much did he affect this seasons camaraderie?His influence on the culture of the sport can’t be overstated, and what I learned from him during the years we were traveling really shaped me a lot. Its cliche, but a lot of times if I don’t know what to do, I ask myself, What would Jim Jack do? For example, if conditions are challenging, it can be easy to get down, lose motivation, and be negative. Jim would never do that. Instead, he would remind everyone that, This is a celebration. And that we should go out there, ski safe, cheer each other on, and show people what we can do and that we love to do it.

Youve been pretty outspoken how the industry and magazines like POWDER have treated you guys as the black sheep of skiing. Do you feel like thats changing after this year, since its this true global tour now?I dont know that answer yet. I think well see the results of our progress in how the industry decides to support us next year. But look at the Europe side. Those guys make enough money to make a whole career out of it. And theyll do other projects, like film, but its not nearly as make or break as it is for an athlete in the United States. Freeride is big over there. It gets on mainstream media and it gets really good numbers, which translates into major sponsorship. So I think for that to happen in the United States, we need more U.S.-based events, since we only have one [Kirkwood, CA] competition and one in Canada [Revelstoke, B.C.] and neither of them get enough visibility, which doesnt translate for athletes. Even though the tours combined, the American and European markets are separate. Its like it always has been: You have to produce the numbers to affect the market.

Talk about your input as a member of the eight-person Pro Freeriders Board and your guys impact as a group.In Fieberbrunn, we got a semi-on-site inspection where all athletes as a group traversed through the middle bench of the venue along one track to get a better look at stuff. The snow was not good, and despite organizers wanting to run the event due to logistical pressure, and the local guide wanting to run because he thought the snow was good enough, I, along with Reine, basically called it off for a week. We felt the conditions were too dangerous and pushed it to an athlete vote. The athletes agreed unanimously, and we ended up waiting like seven more days in Austria for better conditions. It was expensive and a bummer because spectator turnout in Austria is the best in the world. But it had to be done for the riders best interest, which is why the PFB is so important.

Youve been competing on big-mountain tours for nine years. This has to be gratifying to win the very first unified world tour, no?Its not like that for me. Its not, Ah, man, I finally won. Its more, and not just for me but for everyone thats been a part of it for so long, a labor of love. You look at MSI and they run more lucrative events, like the Dew Tour and certain Red Bull events. But theyve had a hand in freeride since the McConkey days, so a lot of people have remained involved because they love it and the lifestyle. And, yes, its more lucrative in Europe, but the organizers are really, really passionate about it over there, too. And Im in the same position. Since Ive been it for so long, its not really a breakthrough so much as this is really just a part of my life.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/chairlift-chat-drew-tabke-qa/feed/0Dash Longe Exclusivehttp://www.powder.com/stories/dash-longe-exclusive/
http://www.powder.com/stories/dash-longe-exclusive/#commentsTue, 23 Apr 2013 09:00:20 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=91143Dash Longe worked with fellow pro skier Matt Philippi to produce his first self-edit, titled "Creature." TGR shot all the footage from their 2012 release, The Dream Factory. But most of the four and a half minute edit is unused bonus footage from Longe's 2012 AK campaign.

During the spring of 2012, Dash Longes ski dream came true. The longtime skier in front of the TGR lens finally got the call to ski and film in Alaska alongside AK veterans, such as Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, Seth Morrison, and Dana Flahr. The product of filming with TGR for nine years, with segments mainly consisting of backcountry freestyle hits and exotic trips to Europe where the focus was almost more on the culture than skiing, the Salt Lake City resident went big in AK, earning a Best Male Performance nomination at the 2013 Powder Awards.

On St. Patricks Day this year, Longes momentum took a hit when he injured his left knee, skiing out of a landing. In the meantime, he worked with fellow pro skier Matt Philippi to produce his first self-edit, titled “Creature.” TGR shot all the footage from their 2012 release, The Dream Factory. But most of the four and a half minute edit is unused bonus footage from Longe’s 2012 AK campaign. Powder.com interrupted the 27-year-old’s DVR viewing of The Masters to catch up with the switch-landing swingman named after Dashiell Hammett, the author of The Maltese Falcon.

POWDER: Have you released a self-edit before?Dash Longe: No, but it’s been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, because there is a lot of footage that hits the floor for whatever reason. It can be frustrating for an athlete when not all of your shots get used and you’ve spent all year working hard and filming. But there’s only so much space in a movie, and they have a particular spot for you in the film because they have so much footage. So the excitement for me is seeing all of my footage get used.

How did Philippi come to be the editor?Philippi is a homie. He was a part of that Full Circle Project, so he’s had to do quite a bit of editing, putting out a web series the last few years. When I was up in Canada, I dumped all my footage on his hard drive and he started hacking away. I came back a month later, tweaked a few things, and we gave it a unique feel.

Did you have something in mind, like a particular style, that inspired the edit direction?I grew up watching a lot of skate videos, and I like the format back in the day of athlete segments as opposed to trip segments. You get to see what a dude’s all abouthis style and how he does certain tricks. Instead of being in one location, it’s more a compilation of banger shots. And I didn’t want any talking, ’cause it seems the same year after year with a skier talking about skiing. Sometimes, people just want to watch skiing, and I think you can still tell a story without talking.

What about the music? What’s the story there?My brother got me stoked on this guy named Roky Erickson. I’ve been thinking about using his music for an edit for a while.

Talk about your experience with the editing process. Did you enjoy it?Editing is definitely not easy, especially when you’re trying to follow a storyline. I can’t imagine how much time the TGR dudes put in to editing their annual film. But sitting down with Philippi, I realized what a process it all is, especially with graphic work. Once we got the timeline down, it was pretty simple to move shots around. But it just felt great to have full creative input.

Dashiell doing it in AK in 2012. PHOTO: MARK FISHER/TGR

Describe your first TGR trip to Alaska.I’ve been once before to AK, but it was nothing like my trip with the big dogs. I was pumped to be up there, finally, with that crew. It’s something I’ve been dreaming about for years.

Where were you guys exactly and who were you with?We were in the Northern Chugach with the Silverton Mountain Guides, and I was with Sage and Seth for the majority and then Dana for a week and Daron Rahlves for two weeks.

Did going out with experienced crews like that allow you to ski with more confidence and comfort?Yeah, once you get there, it’s a way bigger game. It was sort of a compilation of watching several years of big-mountain skiing since I was a little kid and watching Sage and Seth and others crush it year after year. That combined with working up to it from years spent skiing and filming in the Alps, B.C., Squaw, and Utah, and listening to Sage and Seth just talk about the conditions and terrain was key in becoming more comfortable up there. There are just so many things you have to think about, with slough management, cornices, bergschrunds, and stuff. It’s a much bigger world up there.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/dash-longe-exclusive/feed/0K2 Finalizes Athlete Boot Rosterhttp://www.powder.com/latest-news/89833/
http://www.powder.com/latest-news/89833/#commentsMon, 01 Apr 2013 17:20:54 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=89833K2 Skis Posts Final Team Roster to Represent New Ski Boot CollectionTop athletes play key role in the two and a half year development process of boot line Seattle, Wash.

]]>K2 Skis Posts Final Team Roster to Represent New Ski Boot Collection

Top athletes play key role in the two and a half year development process of boot line

Seattle, Wash. (April 1, 2013) The worlds leading ski manufacturer, K2 Skis, prides itself on a long history of aligning with the industrys top athletes to represent the brand and its products. Remaining true and consistent to this key component of innovative product development, K2 Skis once again secures a team of the most influential and diverse industry pros to aptly represent the new 2013-14 K2 ski boot line.

Working with our athletes has always been an integral part of K2s product development process.They are constantly pushing the envelope of the sport and always looking for ways to improve the products they ride, said Mike Gutt, K2s Global Marketing Manager. Our roster of K2 athletes is the highest caliber. They provide vital feedback during any development process, helping us innovate and create products that make skiing more fun for not only the industrys top athletes, but for all levels of skiers.

The K2 ski boot collection is the result of dedicated in-house marketing, sales, and product teams who worked in conjunction with athletes in each category to develop the line. Over the course of two and half years, between the first development meeting and the boots reaching the market, the committed crew has gone through countless hours of in-house development and dozens of on-snow tests to help drive research and development. The end result is a collection of all-mountain and freeride boots, reflecting not only the abilities and styles of the athletes involved, but also delivering the performance needs of any all-mountain skier.

The team of assembled K2 athletes brings a breadth of riding styles and influences that helped drive a well-rounded product development process. The team includes:

Mike Hattrup: A bona fide legend of the industry, Hattrup was involved with the K2 boot program since the inception. Hes been on the front end of every development discussion and on-snow test. His backcountry experience and wealth of knowledge helped drive the freeride design direction and development of the innovative Pinnacle Series Synchro Interlock an easy-to-use and efficient release and locking system, delivering free-flexing walk performance as well as true, downhill, all-mountain boot performance.

Andy Mahre: Skiing is in Andys genes. Honing his skills at White Pass, Wash., Andy is a regular of K2s Pacific Northwest homeland, charging any and all terrain possible. Andys versatility as a rider is invaluable to the K2 boot program; his feedback and insights are impactful across the entirety of the boot line.

Martin Volken: Martins years of experience as a guide and shop owner give him a wealth of knowledge, making him a vital member of the K2 boot team. Martins continual input and design feedback are invaluable attributes to the design and development of K2s backcountry products.

JT Holmes: JT Holmes is a true professional and a great asset to the ski boot program. JT truly puts his gear to the test. His diversity of experience and ability to continually innovate the sport make him a perfect fit for K2 Ski Boots.

Pep Fujas: With top Powder Awards and X Games career achievements, Pep has been one of the most influential K2 athletes to date. While he can hold his own in the competition arena, Pep is most at home filming in the backcountry, where his fluid style and innovative approach to skiing have helped define him as a fixture of the industry.

Reggie Crist: Reggie first honed his skills on the race hill where he built an impressive resume, which includes competing in the 1992 Winter Olympics. He was also the first Ski Cross athlete to win the X-Games twice (2002, 2005), helping pioneer the sport into what it is today.

Collin Collins: A relative newcomer to the K2 team, Collin brings refined park skills and a unique style to the biggest playground there is: the backcountry. Collin can be found hitting massive backcountry booters, slaying powder turns, or scouting his next cliff drop. Collins playground provides a valuable testing lab for K2s ski boots.

To learn more about K2s new boot line, check out the details here. The entire collection of all-mountain and freeride boots will be released at retailers for purchase this fall, along with K2s new 2013/14 ski line.

About K2 Skis: From frontside groomers to big mountain faces, park and urban features to super pipes, and backcountry tours to sidecountry powder stashes, K2 Skis innovative technology combined with an all-mountain philosophy offers ski products for everyone, no matter the conditions. As the ski industry leader embarks on its sixth decade, K2 reflects upon the fundamental technologies they have evolved through the years that remain in the products they manufacture today. From applying fiberglass into skis in the beginning years, to adding sidecut to performance skis in the 90s, and to perfecting the art of the rocker variations of today, K2s all-mountain philosophy continues to make skiing more fun and enjoyable to a broad and complete range of skiers.For more information on K2s latest ski products, dealers and team activities, visit K2skis.com.

]]>http://www.powder.com/latest-news/89833/feed/0Mug Shotzhttp://www.powder.com/stories/mug-shotz/
http://www.powder.com/stories/mug-shotz/#commentsWed, 06 Mar 2013 13:33:36 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=88167The first night of a ski trip with a crew outside your standard circle can be unnerving. So when I heard a knock on the hotel room door, I certainly did not expect to be lead to the neighboring room and greeted with a 3-ounce shot of Jägermeister, which was swirling around in a miniature plastic ski boot. Attached to an old Elan ski, the fashioned boot was buckled down by, well, a buckle, like one of the original 10th Mountain Division bear trap bindings.

The first night of a ski trip with a crew outside your standard circle can be unnerving. So when I heard a knock on the hotel room door, I certainly did not expect to be lead to the neighboring room and greeted with a 3-ounce shot of Jgermeister, which was swirling around in a miniature plastic ski boot. Attached to an old Elan ski, the fashioned boot was buckled down by, well, a buckle, like one of the original 10th Mountain Division bear trap bindings.

Since youre a rookie with this crew, you get a double diamond shot, said the man with a bushy Fu Manchu stache serving the shots. Libations quell the anxiety of socializing with strangers, especially a Jger shot shoved in your face. But this apparatus required respect and analysis, as if ogling a piece of abstract art.

Heres how it works, said Fu Manchu man. Unbuckle, insert heel, pull back a bit, insert boot toe, buckle, and fill the Jger either up to the green circle [1 ounce], blue square [2 ounces], or double diamond [3 ounces].

Fu Manchu man, the person literally and figuratively behind this original shot ski, called the Shotz Ski, is Scott Evans, aka the Evil Elf. Born from the bumps (and ballet) outside Traverse City, Michigan, Evans migrated to Colorado in the 70s after lying about his age and sneaking into a Steamboat mogul contest at 15. The mischief commenced there and followed Evans from Vail to Aspens Snowmass for four years. Eventually, he decided to get responsible and donned a suit and tie in SoCal before moving to Kauai, where he owned and operated a travel agency. But after having to fly to Mammoth to get his ski fix, he eventually returned to Snowmass full time, managing the construction site in the summer and ski shop in the winter. Once he met his wife in Durango, the two escaped the Colorado crowds for the tranquility of Northern Idaho.

I ran into this bald-headed guy with this big Fu Manchu at Silver Mountain [Idaho] and he was a ripping tele skier, says legendary hot dogger Bob Legasa. Soon enough, Evans joined Legasa on a few ski road trips, which is where the Shotz Ski came to life. We were at Snowwater, B.C., remembers Legasa, and he takes this shot ski out of a case, and we started to notice the intricacy of how this thing worked. This is not your typical glued or duct-taped piece of glass to a ski. This is a working piece of equipment here.

Thereafter, the stickered Shotz Ski made its way to Revelstoke, where the bar owner of the Last Drop became Evans first legitimate customer, taking note of how people gathered around the avant-garde hardware.

Now, Evans, who was nicknamed the Evil Elf for his Jekyll and Hyde husband/father and Shotz Ski personas, has made Shotz Ski his full-time job. He cant keep pace with orders, as hes patented the bindings (bear trap for tele skiers and clamps for alpine skiers) and shot glasses for use on classic skis (Bobbie Burns The Ski, Hexcel Sundance), water skis (with neoprene bindings), Nordic ski jump skis (a six shotter), snowboards, and hockey sticks.

Last year, I didnt build the inventory in the summer enough and, crap, I had to build all damn winter long and lost 23 days of powder skiing, he says.

Instead of allowing special skis to collect dust, he scours eBay, Craigslist, second-hand stores, and ski swaps for renowned skis. One Shotz Ski takes about three hours to build, with a price tag ranging from $100 to $300 and others being auctioned at charity events. Now, Shotz Skis can be found in Japan, Sweden, and New Zealand, indicating the Evil Elf’s growing clientele.

In all my travels, Ive never seen anything remotely as cool as his Shotz Skis, says K2’s Mike Hattrup.

Realistically, any shot ski is cool, because the whole premise behind it is getting people together, says Evans. I specialize in really cool skis or skis that have personal memories to people. It is so damn fun.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/mug-shotz/feed/1Registration Open for Dumont Cuphttp://www.powder.com/latest-news/registration-open-for-dumont-cup/
http://www.powder.com/latest-news/registration-open-for-dumont-cup/#commentsMon, 04 Mar 2013 02:17:22 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=87781For Immediate ReleaseNewry, Maine (February 25, 2013)On March 29 and 30, 2013 the Worlds top amateur ski athletes will converge on the slopes of Sunday River Resort in what is

Newry, Maine (February 25, 2013)On March 29 and 30, 2013 the Worlds top amateur ski athletes will converge on the slopes of Sunday River Resort in what is the East Coasts largestand only majorfreeskiing event of the year: the fifth Annual Dumont Cup.

Created by professional freeskier and nine-time X Games Medalist Simon Dumont, the Dumont Cup is a New England-based slopestyle event that takes place in Sunday Rivers Rocking Chair terrain park. For two days, ski hopefuls will compete side-by-side with the professionals they idolize in hopes of earning points, prizes, and serious bragging rights. In addition to Dumont himself, past professional competitors include Tom Wallisch, Gus Kenworthy, Peter Olenick, and Jossi Wells.

In five years time, the Dumont Cup has seen its share of milestones. Though initially intended to be a regional event, competitors from all over the United States, throughout Canada and even Europe, regularly compete for a chance at the coveted Cup. Former amateur athletes like Nick Goepper and Gus Kenworthy, now regulars on the pro circuit, took home the Dumont Cup in 2011 and 2012, respectively, providing them with a launching pad for their current high-profile professional careers. To date, the Dumont Cup is the only slopestyle event to be awarded platinum status by the Association of Freeskiing Professionals (AFP), putting it on par with the biggest slopestyle contests in the world.

Im really proud of what weve achieved with this event, says Dumont. When we started out, it was our goal to give New England amateur skiers a chance to get noticed and to help expand the audience for slopestyle skiing. Since that time, the Dumont Cup has received support from contestants around the World, been formally recognized by the AFP, and weve seen several winners go pro. Im proud of what this contest has achieved in such a short time.

Cash and prizes are up for grabs for first, second, and third place finishers. Amateur skiers will also have the opportunity to score some great prizes from Dumont Cup sponsors.

Qualifiers will be held in two sessions on Friday, March 29, from 10:00 AM until 4:30 PM / EST. The top 20 amateurs will advance to the semi-finals on Saturday, March 30.

During the semi-finals and final rounds, professional and amateur skiers compete head-to-head. Judges will determine the top three overall winners as well as a standout amateur from the two-day competition. The athlete with the highest point total will be awarded the Dumont Cup.

Registration is now open to competitors. The price is $125 and includes a lift ticket. Space is limited.

For additional information on the 5th Annual Dumont Cup, please see www.dumontcup.com or www.sundayriver.com. Please note that the event schedule is subject to change.

About Sunday River A true four-season destination, Sunday River offers eight interconnected peaks of world-class skiing and snowboarding, two Grand Resort Hotels and golf at the highly acclaimed Sunday River Golf Club. Sunday River is a member of the Boyne USA Resorts family of resorts and attractions and is located in Newry, Maine amidst the scenic Mahoosuc Range.

About Sunday River Resort A true four-season destination, Sunday River offers eight interconnected peaks of world-class skiing and snowboarding, two Grand Resort Hotels and golf at the highly acclaimed Sunday River Golf Club. Sunday River is a member of the Boyne USA Resorts family of resorts and attractions and is located in Newry, Maine amidst the scenic Mahoosuc Range.

]]>http://www.powder.com/latest-news/registration-open-for-dumont-cup/feed/0Powder Picks: FWT Kirkwoodhttp://www.powder.com/stories/ftw-picks-kirkwood/
http://www.powder.com/stories/ftw-picks-kirkwood/#commentsWed, 27 Feb 2013 14:30:42 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=87663The lone U.S. stop on the Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face launches in Kirkwood, CA, today. The fourth stop of the inaugural tour will run on the

The lone U.S. stop on the Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face launches in Kirkwood, CA, today. The fourth stop of the inaugural tour will run on the first possible day of the event window period. With sun in the forecast, its go time in South Lake Tahoe.

Long a venue and host of the Freeskiing World Tour, Kirkwood and its permanently closed Cirque look to be quite the challenge this year for competitors due to the conditions. Unfortunately, Tahoe and Sierra have not received a considerable amount of snow in some time, so conditions on the Cirque look to be quite variable. Of course, no one truly knows how itll ski since its been closed and the FWT only allows visual inspection. That being said, the Cirque offers multiple lines and features, so several different routes will be skied.

Here are the predictions for the fourth stop:

The Men

Because of all the different lines and features, Im going with a safe pick here, local Josh Daiek. Look, I know he hasnt had the strongest season thus far. But hes won the last two Freeskiing World Tour contests there in 2011 and 2012, and Kirkwood is his home ski area.

In line with the countless choices of lines, the versatile skills of Fabio Studer could set up well on this venue. The Austrian, who won the Peoples Choice Award at the 2011 Red Bull Cold Rush, finished fifth at Courmayeur and second at Chamonix, the second and third tour stops, respectively. Then again, landings are gonna be hard, so I wouldnt expect many tricks to be thrown off the cliffs.

Rounding out the podium, tour leader Drew Tabke will continue his strong form. Since hes well ahead of the others in the point standings, Tabke could be more conservative in his approach, especially with the marginal conditions. Then again, the tour vet doesnt seem to have the ability to take his foot off the gas, so he could easily end up on top again.Dark Horses: When youre talking Kirkwood, you can never look past tour vets in Julien Lopez, Tahoe local Kevin OMeara, or Aurelien Ducroz. These guys know the Cirque venue well after competing on it multiple times. Of course, Swedens Reine Barkered and Switzerlands Jeremie Heitz have been super consistent this year, so you have to think theyre in good form to catch up to Tabke.

The Women

Nine women will be competing in Kirkwood headlined by tour leader Christine Hargin. The Swede won both stops at Revelstoke and Chamonix (the ladies did not compete at Courmayeur) and looks to continue her dominance.

But this is America and Squaws Jackie Passo, who won the 2012 Chamonix Freeride World Tour stop, has to be a favorite on the Cirque. Although she hasnt been in great form this year, finishing seventh at Revy and 10th at Chamonix, she knows the venue and has been skiing hard snow recently at Tahoe.

To round out the podium, Austrias Nadine Wallner looks to continue her streak of strong finishes after placing second at both Revy and Chamonix.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/ftw-picks-kirkwood/feed/0Japanese Dreamhttp://www.powder.com/stories/japanese-dream/
http://www.powder.com/stories/japanese-dream/#commentsTue, 12 Feb 2013 13:22:22 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=86871We’ve seen tall snowbanks before. We reference piles of snow that line the likes of Highway 542 en route to Mount Baker. But these ones make you feel like you’re in a white tunnel. Not even the vantage from a two-story tour bus affords a view. We pass people walking alongside the road, the snowbank quadruple their head high.

You’ve seen the photos, watched the footage, and read accounts. It does exist. A place where the snow—somehow, someway—does not cease to fall from the morning, afternoon, or night sky.

]]>Weve seen tall snowbanks before. We reference piles of snow that line the likes of Highway 542 en route to Mount Baker. But these ones make you feel like youre in a white tunnel. Not even the vantage from a two-story tour bus affords a view. We pass people walking alongside the road, the snowbank quadruple their head high.

Youve seen the photos, watched the footage, and read accounts. It does exist. A place where the snowsomehow, somewaydoes not cease to fall from the morning, afternoon, or night sky.

Japan. Hokkaido. Niseko. And the small family-feel ski area of Moiwa.

Weve all skied powder. But it doesnt always have the same coastal density as it does in Japan, where you can feel the water content. Yet, somehow, it remains light and elastic. And weve skied powder that have provoked more dreams, but not amid birch and maple trees that create celestial halos that illuminate the reality below your tips. To boot, the terrain comprising the 2,191 skiable acres of Niseko United Resorts is not scary steep, but rather comfortable in its sustained pitch. Meanwhile, despite over 600 inches of annual snowfall, the avie danger is significantly mitigated since youre not skiing wide-open bowls with copious terrain traps. What this means is that you can fly off gigantic strawberry pillows with little regard for worry about anything. You weave your way through the white stalks of birch, meditating and curating your way in a Zen-like state of mind and body.

Most of us have channeled our inner child and night skied. But not under stadium lights that are partially blurred from the onslaught of a relentless snowfall.

In four days, it snowed over four feet. Locals shrugged. Wed ask them how many centimeters accumulate overnight. A few cms, theyd respond in easy tones. The little, 5,000-person town of Niseko, with its onsen springs and bubble-covered chairlifts, was in full nuclear winter mode during five days in mid-January. It did not stop snowing.

A crew from Patagonia, including recent signee Pep Fujas, was there, putting the completely revamped Patagonia Snow kits through the ultimate pow elements. Whether it was submerging into the phenomenon during the day or night, our assumptions and presumptions about the mythical Japanese snowfall were blown to shreds. Fujas, who has been to Niseko nearly 10 times, led the charge through the trees, airing blind rollovers into a bottomless mattress of snow. Within one run of following Pep, it made sense as to why he never took his ski gear off after shredding the powder lanes and popping off pillows during the day. Because in Japan, nourishing the soul reigns.

Staring at the blizzard passing by the stadium lights one magical night, I mused that its not every day you get to actually live your childhood dreams. Believe the hype. It lives.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/japanese-dream/feed/0Live-Stream Concert to Benefit Chris Rudolphhttp://www.powder.com/stories/live-stream-concert-to-benefit-chris-rudolph/
http://www.powder.com/stories/live-stream-concert-to-benefit-chris-rudolph/#commentsFri, 08 Feb 2013 00:45:49 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=86497Last winter, I received a late-night text message from Stevens Pass Director of Marketing Chris Rudolph. There was no actual text in the message, just a photo of an acoustic ensemble of musicians. The six-piece band that played that wintry night at Stevens was Seattle’s own The Head and The Heart, a favorite of Rudolph’s and mine, hence the envy-inducing text. Of course, I thought to myself, why wouldn’t Rudolph somehow convince one of the Pacific Northwest’s most precocious musical groups to perform at a ski area? He was that savvy and restless and always in pursuit of doing something rad, especially for the benefit of others.

]]>Last winter, I received a late-night text message from Stevens Pass Director of Marketing Chris Rudolph. There was no actual text in the message, just a photo of an acoustic ensemble of musicians. The six-piece band that played that wintry night at Stevens was Seattles own The Head and The Heart, a favorite of Rudolphs and mine, hence the envy-inducing text. Of course, I thought to myself, why wouldnt Rudolph somehow convince one of the Pacific Northwests most precocious musical groups to perform at a ski area? He was that savvy and restless and always in pursuit of doing something rad, especially for the benefit of others.

Shortly thereafter, a massive avalanche caught and killed Rudolph on the backside of Stevens in the Tunnel Creek drainage. The vibration of his loss caused confusion and disorder. His charisma and influenceprofessionally and personallytouched countless people, especially those in the Pacific Northwest. And a good chunk of those lucky recipients were kids and adults affiliated with the Outdoors For All Foundation, a Seattle nonprofit that seeks to enrich the lives of kids and adults living with disabilities by exposing them to outdoor recreation. Keen to assist the local community, Rudolph welcomed them to Stevens several times, and fundraised for Outdoors For All at the Stevens season-end party.

On Friday, February 8, another nonprofit, called Team Up For Nonprofits, is hosting a concert at Seattles Tractor Tavern to raise money for Outdoors For All, which has created a scholarship in the name of Chris Rudolph. And, of course, Josiah Johnson and Charity Rose Thielen of The Head and The Heart are headlining, with other Seattle favorites, Smokey Brights and River Giant, opening.

Weve worked with Chriss family to establish this endowment and 100 percent of the proceeds are going to the scholarship fund in his name, says Ed Bronsdon, the executive director of Outdoors For All.

Since the show is sold out, Team Up for Nonprofits and Gigs4Good are live-streaming the show with the help of REI. While watching the show for free, viewers can donate to Outdoors For All.

Somewhere out there, Rudolph will be getting rad and dancing around to some of his favorite tunes, celebrating the fact that more lucky kids and adults will benefit from his beautiful spirit.

The show starts at 9 p.m. PST. Watch it here. And donate to Outdoors For All here.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/live-stream-concert-to-benefit-chris-rudolph/feed/0The North Face Announces Support of U.S. Freeskiing for Sochi Olympicshttp://www.powder.com/latest-news/the-north-face-announces-support-of-u-s-freeskiing-for-sochi-olympics/
http://www.powder.com/latest-news/the-north-face-announces-support-of-u-s-freeskiing-for-sochi-olympics/#commentsThu, 07 Feb 2013 00:20:33 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=86441FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The North Face Broadens Its Commitment To U.S. Freeskiing As The Sport Prepares To Make Its Olympic Debut At The Sochi 2014 Winter Games The North Face

The North Face Broadens Its Commitment To U.S. Freeskiing As The Sport Prepares To Make Its Olympic Debut At The Sochi 2014 Winter Games

The North Face Announces Broadened Support Of Freeskiing Development Through U.S. Freeskiings New Rookie Team To Develop Future U.S. Talent And Sponsorship Of Visa U.S. Freeskiing Grand Prix And X Games Gold Medalist Maddie Bowman

ALAMEDA, Calif. (Feb. 6, 2013) The North Face, an original partner of U.S. Freeskiing, is taking the next step in its dedication to freeskiing with a broadened focus on both elite and development direction in the sport through U.S. Freeskiings new Rookie Team. This partnership builds off the brands charter sponsorship of the U.S. Freeskiing Team, which began in 2011 just before halfpipe and slopestyle skiing were announced as new Olympic sports. The North Face is also pleased to add U.S. Freeskiing Pro Team athlete Maddie Bowman to its global team roster. Bowman, a two-time X Games medalist, recently took gold at the Winter X Games and first at the Visa U.S. Freeskiing Grand Prix competitions at both Copper Mountain and Park City to earn the national title.

U.S. Freeskiings new Rookie Team provides support and training with expert coaches for teen athletes looking to advance their skills and competition level in both halfpipe and slopestyle skiing with the goal of eventually making the U.S. Freeskiing Pro Team. The support of The North Face has been instrumental to the growth of the new Olympic sport of freeskiing, including U.S. Freeskiing’s elite pro team and its new development-focused U.S. Freeskiing Rookie Team, which both foster talent that will help the USA be Best in the World in Olympic freeskiing leading up to the 2014 Olympic Winter Games and beyond. The 10-member U.S. Freeskiing Rookie Team is coached by Ben Verge (halfpipe) and DJ Montigy (slopestyle).

Since the beginning of the freeskiing movement, The North Face has maintained an ongoing commitment to helping elevate the sport to the global stage, said Mike Jaquet, CMO of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association. Starting before freeskiing was recognized as an Olympic sport, weve worked very closely with The North Face to identify unique opportunities to further the development of the sport at the grassroots level, both on the athlete side and through competition. Its great to work with sponsors that are so committed to fostering the sports growth.

Along with its support of U.S. Freeskiings Pro and Rookie Teams and individual athletes, the brand also continues to evolve its signature freeskiing tour. The North Face Park and Pipe Open Series (PPOS), which was founded in 2010 and is one of the few open-format series that offers amateurs and pros alike an arena for freeskiing competition. Working in conjunction with the International Ski Federation (FIS), USSA and the Association of Freeskiing Professionals (AFP), the PPOS has become a grassroots pipeline for amateur athletes to elevate their skill level and to eventually qualify for top-tier events such as the X Games, Visa U.S. Freeskiing Grand Prix and the Olympic Games. This year, two U.S. Freeskiing Rookie Team members, Alexander Ferreira of Aspen, Colo., and Annalisa Drew of Andover, Mass., earned top honors in the halfpipe competition at the second PPOS stop in Whistler, giving them automatic entries into the X Games a first time opportunity for both up-and-coming athletes.

A one-hour broadcast of the Whistler PPOS event will air on Feb. 7 the Sochi 2014 Winter Games year-out mark on the CBS Sports Network.

The North Face Park and Pipe Open Series has been a great opportunity for us to continue our commitment to growing the sport of freeskiing, said Aaron Carpenter, vice president of marketing for The North Face. In addition to our U.S. Freeskiing sponsorship and now our U.S. Freeskiing Rookie Team partnership, we have close relationships with several athletes, who also play a key role in our research, design and development and enable us to create unique freeskiing apparel.

Along with its new partnership with Bowman, The North Face also continues its relationship with top freeskiing athletes Tom Wallisch (US) and Devin Logan (US) as well as up-and-coming athletes Chris Laker (US) and Carson LeHouillier (US) on the amateur side. These athletes have been instrumental to The North Face in working to develop athlete-tested apparel while pushing the limits of the sport on the road to Sochi.

THE JOURNEY TO SOCHISince freeskiing is inspired out of Big Mountain skiing, The North Face has maintained an ongoing commitment to helping elevate the sport to the global stage and to supporting growth of freeskiing and its athletes.

From its support of the legendary Scot Schmidt to the companys work with Kit DesLauries and her ascents and ski descents of the 7-Summits to Tom Wallischs X Games gold, The North Face has been at the forefront and progression of the sport. In 2003, The North Face began sponsoring what is now known as the Freeride World Tour and was a founding partner in 2011 when USSA announced the new U.S. Freeskiing brand and team. In 2013, The North Face was the founding presenting sponsor for the unified Freeride World Tour while continuing its signature tour, The North Face Park and Pipe Open Series.

For additional information about The North Face and its commitment to freeskiing, please visithttp://neverstopexploring.com/blog/freeskiing/.

About The North FaceThe North Face, a division of VF Outdoor, Inc., was founded in 1968. Headquartered Alameda, Calif., the company offers the most technically advanced products in the market to accomplished climbers, mountaineers, snowsport athletes, endurance athletes, and explorers. The company’s products are sold in specialty mountaineering, backpacking, running, and snowsport retailers, premium-sporting goods retailers and major outdoor specialty retail chains.

About the USSAThe U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) is the national governing body of Olympic skiing and snowboarding. Developed to facilitate participation in national and international competition, the Olympic sports organization provides structure for competitive skiing and snowboarding. From grassroots programs to governance of sport, management of rules, competitions and athletic rankings, the USSA oversees athletic pipelines for development in the sports. With a vision to make the USA the best in the world in Olympic skiing and snowboarding, the USSA provides leadership and direction for tens of thousands of young skiers and snowboarders who share an Olympic dream while maintaining a strong adherence to core values. The USSA, established in 1905, operates out of the national training and education facility, the Center of Excellence, in Park City, UT. For more information, visit www.usskiteam.com.

American Ted Ligety picked a marquee event to win his first-ever super-G at any level. The Park City resident won gold at the F.I.S. Alpine World Championships in Schladming, Austria, on Wednesday, finishing ahead of France’s Gautier De Tessieres and pre-race favorite Aksel Lund Svindal of Norway. The giant slalom specialist, who leads in World Cup points in GS, used his technical skills to pick up time on the steeper lower section of the course.

“I thought actually I had a good chance here because my super-G is going well,” said Ligety, who finished sixth in the prestigious Hahnenkamm super-G at the Kitzbuhel World Cup, according to Ussa.com. “But knowing this hill, I knew it would be good for someone like me who is more of a GS type skier. The bottom I knew I could make up time…it suited my technique.”

It’s is Ligety’s third World Champs medal, earning a GS gold in 2011 and bronze in 2009. It’s also the first super-G gold for an American male at the World Championships since Bode Miller in 2005 and Daron Rahlves in 2001.

“I think that might’ve been one of the most difficult races I’ve ever been in,” Mancuso told Ussa.com. “It was a really long course and a lot of hurry up and wait. But to finish on the podium is kind of all you can ask for.”

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/first-chair-blog/ligety-wins-world-champs-super-g-mancuso-earns-bronze/feed/0Junk in the Truck: Smith Maze Helmethttp://www.powder.com/videos/jit-smith-maze/
http://www.powder.com/videos/jit-smith-maze/#commentsMon, 28 Jan 2013 14:15:10 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=85893The Smith Maze is light, vented, and won't make you look like a bobblehead if you have a huge dome.

]]>http://www.powder.com/videos/jit-smith-maze/feed/0Kitzbuhel World Cup Recaphttp://www.powder.com/stories/first-chair-blog/kitzbuhel-world-cup-recap/
http://www.powder.com/stories/first-chair-blog/kitzbuhel-world-cup-recap/#commentsSat, 26 Jan 2013 19:23:14 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=85827Amidst the countless flags of 50,000 spectators, Italian Dominik Paris prevailed in the 73rd running of the renowned Hahnenkamm in Kitzbuhel, Austria. With a time of 1:57.56, the Italian beat

Dominik Paris celebrates his second DH win of the WC season. This one, of course, is the big one.

Amidst the countless flags of 50,000 spectators, Italian Dominik Paris prevailed in the 73rd running of the renowned Hahnenkamm in Kitzbuhel, Austria. With a time of 1:57.56, the Italian beat second place finisher Canadian Eric Guay by .13 seconds. Austrian Hannes Reichelt rounded out the podium, assuring the home country a podium finish.

The crazy crowds watched the Super Bowl of skiing under sunny skies after yesterdays couple-inch snowfall, which made the Streif course even faster for the 52 racers. Americans Travis Ganong and Marco Sullivan finished 20th and 24th, respectively, with Andrew Weibrecht finishing in 34th position. Stephen Nyman and Ted Ligety did not finish.

Ski-racing celebrities and former winners Daron Rahlves, Fritz Strobl, Stephan Eberharter, Didier Cuche, and Franz Klammer were all on hand, in addition to the terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Awards have been handed out, fireworks went off, and the party continues in Kitzbuhel.

]]>http://www.powder.com/stories/first-chair-blog/kitzbuhel-world-cup-recap/feed/0Powder Picks: Courmayeurhttp://www.powder.com/stories/news/powder-picks-courmayeur/
http://www.powder.com/stories/news/powder-picks-courmayeur/#commentsSun, 20 Jan 2013 13:02:26 +0000http://www.powdermag.com/?p=84929After a powder-filled first stop of the inaugural Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face on the Mac Daddy venue of Revelstoke, B.C., the tour hops the Atlantic and lands in Courmayeur, Italy. This stop, however, only features the men, 32 of them to be exact.

After a powder-filled first stop of the inaugural Swatch Freeride World Tour by The North Face on the Mac Daddy venue of Revelstoke, B.C., the tour hops the Atlantic and lands in Courmayeur, Italy. This stop, however, only features the men, 32 of them to be exact.

In case youve been too busy skiing all the plentiful powder in North America, Courmayeur/Mont-Blanc, Italy, has been experiencing nuclear winter conditions. Like, 75-year storm conditions. Which, of course, equates to multiple venue options being available. European FWT Director Nicolas Hale-Woods worked with mountain guides and longtime competitor Aurelien Ducroz to select the venue. According to Ducroz, the venue will allow for multiple styles of skiing, whether its hard chargers like himself and Seb Michaud or more air-friendly competitors like FWT Revy winner Drew Tabke, American Oakley White-Allen, and Kiwi Sam Smoothy.

The Flying Hawaiian Tabke won the first stop of the global five-star series six-stop tour by airing three sizable cliffs on the Mac Daddy venue. The tour veteran has all the momentum and as an accomplished ski mountaineer is comfortable in the Alps setting. Switzerlands Jeremie Heitz finished second at Revy and you would think hed have knowledge of the Italian Alp location.

But since 22 out of the 32 competitors are not from North America, Im going with the safe bet and picking Frenchman Julien Lopez to win the second stop. Lopez finished third at Revy and has to be amped up to return close to home and compete in front of an eager Euro fan base for the second stop of the new tour. The 31 year old hasnt won a FWT stop in Europe in some time, so he has even more motivation.

Dark Horses: Watch out for Italian Markus Eder and Switzerlands Samuel Anthamatten. The 26-year-old Swiss, an accomplished climber, finished third at last years FWT Courmayeur event, and has a penchant for skiing fast and taking big airs. As for Eder, he won the 2012 World Heli Challenge in New Zealand and finished second at last years Red Bull Linecatcher, so you know he has a big ol bag of stylie tricks that could allow him to pop up on the podium at any time. Plus, the 22 year old is competing in his home country. Dont count out Ducroz, a Chamonix resident, as he knows this terrain better than anybody. Also, watch out for the Chickering-Ayers brothers, Lars and Silas, as Lars, the elder, is making his FWT comeback after a one-year hiatus.

I look for Lopez to win the event, with Anthamatten finishing second and Tabke hanging onto a podium spot.